High Heatherton

High Heatherton is a historic novel by Sussex author Judith Thomson.

Set in the turbulent times of the 17th Century,  it follows the fortunes of Philip Devalle, who is the younger son of an Earl.

Unfortunately for Philip he is left without a penny piece when his older brother, unfortunately declared insane and incarcerated within the tender mercies of Bedlam hospital, inherits the family estate, High Heatherton.

Philip has been serving in the army of the French and when he returns to Britain he has one aim, to obtain High Heatherton for himself.

Philip Devalle has a potentially very able ally in the form of Lord Shaftesbury.  His Lordship is  man of many and varied talents, including the ability to create stratagems and craft plots so his promises to Philip Devalle to use his influences with the law courts to help him regain  High Heatherton were not beyond the boundaries of possibility.

But there's a rather large price attached to the help proffered by Lord Shaftsbury. For he demands, in return, that Philip Devalle assists him in a plot to place the illegitimate son of King Charles, the Duke of Monmouth, on the throne. For Shaftesbury is convinced that he could easily manipulate him, once he were placed on the throne of England.

But Philip Devalle has enemies in England, enemies who mean him harm. So he must treat them with caution and to keep as far away from them as he can. Especially as he is aware that the plot he is engaged in is treason. And the penalty for treason was an ignominious death by being hung, drawn and quartered.

He realises, in his attempts to regain what he has lost, to his mind, unfairly, that he has managed to get himself very deeply into a plot that could cost him his life.

But could he extricate himself from the situation and get what he prized?

The book is based on the real and tumultuous events of the Monmouth rebellion and is published by Matador at £9.99 and is an ideal real for lovers of historic fiction.

You can order it now at the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, which you will find to the right-hand side of this book review.

Pariah

Pariah is a début novel from R. S. Bristowe, an author from the Eastern county of Leicestershire.

It tells the story of Eddie Boyle. Life has some amusing little tricks it plays upon us, from time-to-time.

In Eddie's case the trick is that by the time he is in line to receive it, the title Tenth Marquess of Exwick as without any value or worth at all! Or so Eddie is led to believe.

But Eddie soon receives a phone call from a vicar in Cambridgeshire. It concerns a mysterious and ancient treasure, rumoured to be "priceless" of the Fen Tigers.

Eddie decides to pay a visit to this mysterious clergyman and he arrives in the village of Herne Fen.

Eddie picks up on the fact that something is bothering the locals, worrying them, perhaps? Because their behaviour is more than a little disconcerting, to Eddie's way of thinking.

But then, and before Eddie has the chance to learn more about the village of Herne Fen, the vicar vanishes.

This is treated by the local police as a simple missing person enquiry (even though the disappearance of a Church of England clergyman is hardly a run-of-the-mill experience) but soon it becomes a murder enquiry.

But there's something happening, something that is very unpleasant as the case quickly widens to cover not only a recent spate of murders but also to a number of much older murders.

Soon Eddie Boyle is on the trail of the search of the priceless and ancient treasure of the Fen Tigers. And the trail is littered with mutilated corpses and sheer terror.

Will Eddie reach the end of the trail and find the ancient treasure? Or will he reach the end of the trail, another victim of the ruthless killers who are stalking the ancient fenlands of Eastern England?

This book is published by Matador at £8.99 and is available from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, just to the right of this review.

La Petite Mort

La Petite Mort is a novel by Eli Wilde.But it is not actually a novel. It is far, far more than that.

It tell the story of a talented young poet called Rufus Hobster.

Well, actually, that's not entirely truthful. That bit about Rufus Hobster being a talented young poet.

For not only is Rufus Hobster a talented poet, he is also a vampire, so the state of being youthful or otherwise is really of no significance as far as he is concerned.

Through La Petite Mort Rufus tells the story of his early life when first he was introduced into vampirism.

Yet this is not a standard book about a poet (who just happens to be a vampire) it is written by the eminently talented Eli Wilde who wrote poetry in the voice of Rufus Hobster throughout this truly remarkable book.

These Gothic poems are probably some of the most compelling lines of modern poetry that I have ever read. Anywhere, at any time.

They are moving, frightening, bewildering, intoxicating, dream-laden, of another world of another time, from a different realm where a dog lies weeping for its slain master as a vampire feasts on his blood, of death too early, of death delayed.

It is published by Matador at £7.99 and is available for purchase at the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, a little to the right of this book review.

You should buy this book. But if you do, be prepared to carry these poems with you in your heart for a little while to come...

And do please check the bookshop for other collections of poetry by Eli Wilde.

The Adventures of Rodney Fluffychops

The Adventures of Rodney Fluffychops tells the amazing and utterly charming story of Rodney Fluffychops and his new best mate, Spike.

Rodney Fluffychops is a delightful and incredibly nosy cat and Spike is a hedgehog who loves nothing better than going out and picking up some litter to make his home more tidy.

Together the two friends have some absolutely wonderful adventures.

The book is beautifully illustrated -there's even a map that shows you all of the big world that Rodney lives in!- and illustrations of not only Rodney and Spike, and of their friends the rabbits who live in the Garden Centre that's not far from Rodney's home.

The book is designed to be read to and by children aged 3 to 5 years of age and their parents, grandparents and their older siblings.

And Rodney is a real cat, who does really live with Mr and Mrs C in the village, not far from the Garden Centre.

This book is written by Mr C, aka Mr F. Compton and illustrated by artist Rianna "Dolly" Aguilar.

It's published by Matador at £6.99 and is available at the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop which is, as ever, just a little to the right of this book review.

I can't recommend this charming book enough.

Get a Life

Get a Life is the fourth novel by author Don Snuggs.

There's a purpose behind the novel, it is intended to assist the reader to begin to question ingrained, routine ways of thinking.

It tells the story of Fiona.

Fiona is the daughter of a prosperous businessman and his wife.

Fiona was brought up during and after the beginning of the Second World War, when, for her, life was increasingly good as her family became more and more prosperous.

Her faith and her beliefs were inculcated within her by her parents and her mentors. But even so, Fiona had a desire and a need to question what it was that she was being taught.

Whilst still in her teenage years, a series of terrible disasters befell our heroine.

Her boyfriend, who she loved very much, died in an accident.

And then she was kidnapped by a criminal gang and held hostage. During her illegal incarceration she was raped and became pregnant as a result.

She struggles with conflicting emotions and ideas, based on what she had been taught whilst growing up.

Should she proceed with the pregnancy or not? She eventually decides to go through with the pregnancy, but that she should put the child up for adoption, which she does.

Throughout the following years she continues with her life as best she can. She attends university where she majors in business studies.

Her father too soon and Fiona takes the decision to turn her considerable talents to joining the family business.

She marries and is able to make a fresh start. Only for her oldest son from this marriage to decide to indulge in a notorious and high-profile affair with a woman who is older than he is.

This results in heartache and misery all round and brings with it the potential for disaster not only for her son but also for the entire family.

What should Fiona do? Gather up the determination to re-start her life all over again?

The book is intended to be an uplifting novel strength and success despite adversity and heartbreak along the way.

It is published by Matador in paperback at £9.99 and can be purchased from the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop, on the right hand side of this review.

Lights Burning Blue

Lights Burning Blue is a thriller novel set in the world of the theatre and it is written by a man who knows a great deal about this world, successful actor, Andrew Cullum.

It relates the story of a somewhat unlikely friendship set against the backdrop of a savage murder.

Brooke McCarthy has graduated from her drama school and she has landed her dream job. Well, it's not exactly her dream job. But it is a job in a theatre company, so there's that much to it, hopefully?

But it's not, actually, a proper acting job. She has had to take up a job in stage management. Which was not what she wanted at all. She wants to be on the stage, acting, not stage managing!

And the director of the play is Jimmy Knowles, notorious in the world of British theatre as being very difficult to please and not very nice to work with or for.

The play is in the rehearsal phase and it's not actually in the theatre, yet. The rehearsals are being undertaken in a village hall in a village that is probably as out of the way as you could possibly get, near to nothing but a woodland nature reserve.

But this whole thing beats Brooke's previous job, working as a temp in an office, so she grits her teeth and is determined to make as good a job of things as she can.

On her first day at work she meets up with an elderly gentleman who she finds endearing and who lives in a cottage which is just over the path from the village hall where the rehearsals  are taking place.

This elderly gentleman seems to have had something of an interesting past and a deep love of all things theatrical.

But is everything quite what it appears to be?

For just one week prior to her taking up her new job, a young girl was found murdered in the woods that make up the nature reserve.

And is it just a coincidence that the murder victim looks like Brooke?

What, exactly, is going on? Who, if anyone, can Brooke trust?

This is Andrew Cullum's début novel. And all I can say is that I hope it is not be his only novel!

We mystery lovers have found, in Andrew Cullum, a great new writing talent and, in Brooke McCarthy, a wonderful new character. Who I want to be able to learn more about in forthcoming novels.

Could she develop into a female version of a younger and perhaps more theatrically successful Charles Paris?  Oh, I do hope so!

The book is published by Matador at a remarkably reasonable £9.99 in paperback and if you buy only one book during 2016, please do make it Lights Burning Blue. You'll find it for sale at the That's Books and Entertainment book shop, just a little to the right of this review.

Horizons of Light

Horizons of Light is a passionate love story by Jaime Manrique-Palacin.

It's a novel in the erotic fiction genre (this is the English language version of the book which was first published in Spanish) which tells the story of Enrique who, in a hot summer's night back in 1964 takes the decision to leave his home town of Santa Maria de los Rios and emigrate to the United States of America.

He has to leave behind his wife and child -only for a while, of course- and leaves to make his mark in America.

He planned to bring his wife and his child over to join him in America, but a letter from home blew his plans into pieces, piercing his heart with the news that his family was now lost to him.

Eventually he makes his way across America and becomes a famous and wealthy actor in Hollywood, where his good looks and personality attracts admiration and romantic attention from members of both genders.

But Enrique needs more than brief encounters he knows that he must rediscover and fight for his one true love and bring joy and happiness to someone who had known misery and heartache.

This is a splendid and richly written novel which has heart and soul throughout it's pages.

It is published in hardback by The Book Guild at £17.99 and can be bought via the That's Books and Entertainment book shop, which you will find to the right of this book review.

A Game That Must be Lost

A Game That Must be Lost is a novel set in the world of international diplomacy, written by a former high ranking British diplomat and now a leading academic Alan Hunt.

A Game That Must be Lost takes the reader back to the year 2005.

On the eve of the Chinese New Year in Singapore, all is not quite what it appears to be.

Marina Singleton, the daughter of the British High Commissioner, has -somehow- become involved in the world of international drug smuggling and has vanished with a high value consignment of illegally smuggled heroin.

But that's not all she has done. For she has left an innocent man to face the death penalty for a crime he had no knowledge of.

A little while later, Marina's father, Andrew Singleton, also vanishes.

The repercussions of these events are potentially catastrophic for the British government, so it is decided that a high power investigation will be launched into the case, under the watchful eye of Adam White, Head of Chancery at the High Commission.

It is Adam White's task to try to establish the exact sequence of events and to discover the truth as to what actually had happened.

For example, was Marina Singleton really involved in the smuggling? Has she vanished of her own volition, or was she kidnapped? And if so, what could be the motives of the kidnappers?

And what of the equally problematic disappearance of her father? Is it linked to the mysterious disappearance of his daughter? Has he gone to ground? Or was he, also, kidnapped?

And why would anyone want to kidnap the Singletons?

But as Adam White commences on his somewhat tricky and potentially dangerous mission he discovers that, in the world of international diplomacy things are never quite what they appear to be and that there is a very dangerous plot that aims to bring the world to the brink of disaster with a nuclear holocaust as the eventual aim.

But is all that it seems? And how many would die before the case could be considered as closed? But how can Adam White, a man with troubles of his own, work to prevent this from happening? In fact, can he? Or is it beyond his abilities?

The book is a compelling read and is published by Matador at £7.99 in paperback and is available from the that's Books and Entertainment book shop, which you will find to the right of this review.

Hidey Holes

Hidey Holes is a book of Beautiful Hideaways, Bolt Holes and Harbours in England and Wales.

It is by Robin Whitcomb and it is a truly fascinating book. So fascinating that I have had to wait for a couple of weeks to review it because my wife was absolutely riveted by it!

Yorkshire-born Robin Whitcomb has lived an interesting life. A student of Cranleigh School in Surrey, after a couple of years working in the oil industry in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he spent time in LA with his older brother Ian, a musician who had a smash hit with "You Turn Me On", who introduced him to Sonny and Cher, who, at that time, were a pair of rapidly rising stars.

Robin became their drummer and perchusionist and who played on their smash massive hit: "I Got You Babe".

After returning to the UK, Robin played cricket for the MCC and rugby for Richmond and other clubs.

Amongst other things, after several years on The Daily Telegraph he taught at Dulwich Prep for 33 years.

This is his third book.

The book brings the reader to a variety of absolutely charming places in and around the coastal areas of England and Wales.

There are some perfectly crafted paintings by local artists and also some stunningly beautiful and well-composed images photographed by Robin himself.

There are also some first class descriptive texts that tell you all that you need to know about the villages, towns, hamlets and small communities that he found on his travels with his (late) companion, his Labrador Coco. She was his constant companion throughout the five years that it took Robin to create this utterly charming and quintessentially English book, which he, with considerable English charm,  dedicated to Coco.

See the drama that is Mullion Cove, the majesty of Boscastle -and the local Witchcraft Museum!- the Ship Inn of Mousdehole and the story of how it was attacked and almost totally destroyed by Spanish raiders. Squire Jenkin Keigwin was able to kill six of them who had attacked his house, before he was cruelly murdered, but still with his sword in his hand. A brave Cornishman to the very end!

It was later famed as the home of Dolly Pentreath who died at age 101 who was reputedly the last person able to speak in the ancient Cornish tongue, when she died in 1777.

See dramatic mine ruins, read about the smugglers who worked the coast and of novelists like D. H. Lawrence and Agatha Christie who made Cornwall their homes for lesser or greater times.

There are preserved railway lines, cliff railways and much, much more.

Moving on to Northern England there are castles, like Bamburgh, fishing villages like Craster, and locations like Robin Hood's Bay.

Moving round the coast we find the magic of Norfolk, with basking seals, motoring museums and the birthplace of Lord Nelson. And more preserved railway lines, like the Wells-Walsingham Railway.

There's the magical coastline of Pembrokshire, including Porthgain. There's Solva -with the horrifying story of why there was always three light house keepers and there's Abereiddy with its Blue Lagoon and the interesting story of how it came into being.

This high quality coffee table sized book is published in hardback by Troubador at a remarkably reasonable £14.99 and will make a wonderful conversation piece and an equally superb present for the armchair traveller. Or for the person who wants to have things to look for when they take a coastal holiday.

It is available from the That's Book and Entertainment book shop, which you will find to the right hand side of this book review.

More Thorns Than Roses

More Thorns Than Roses is a remarkable collection of short stories from H. A. Howe.

It's an interesting collection of disparate ideas and themes.

It's light and frothy, yet it is also tart and salty. It's as if someone has made a really rather splendidly fluffy meringue and replaced half of the caster sugar with some crunchy pink Himalayan salt.

There are tales of love, of betrayal, of fears, real and imagined and tragedic events of the kind that make people shake their heads and say: "We should have seen that coming" but, somehow, nobody ever does.

There's guilt, sometimes where there should be none, and an absence of guilt where guilt should be a crushing remorse.

There are cruelties upon cruelties and acts of stupidity, thoughtlessness and of fecklessness.

Yet there are also moments of great tenderness, of love, and of sacrifice and of hope. And of situations that are beyond all realistic hope. And, finally, of light.

This book is published in paperback by Victory and it is her second collection of short stories.

It is available through the That's Books and Entertainment book shop, which is to be found on the right hand side of this book review.

If I Can touch You With a Thought

If I Can touch You With a Thought is a collection of poetry and narrative prose by Bob Levine.

Blank verse is an interesting short poem seeing the world through the veil of a cataract. (A subject which your reviewer has some personal knowledge of, so read with interest and be-stirred memories.)

Other poems touch on the fleeting memories of our childhood days, of coal fires and the black and white images flickering on the telly, the time of your life, a surprise meeting, a time when someone, or something, takes over the land of the night.

When there is someone who is, truly and really, our best friend, and we, hopefully, there's.

Thoughts that arise when one is on a bench, by the sea, just you and your thoughts.

The different feelings engendered by one species over another, memories of disasters that have already been and others that might yet be.

For a mere £6.99 you can slake your thirst for new experiences in this delightful little well of ideas and thoughts.

It's published by Matador and is available in all good bookshops, including ours. You'll find our bookshop to the right of this review.

Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies - Slice One

Planes, Passports and Porkie Pies - Slice One is a fascinating read about what life was really like as an Immigration Control officer in the UK.

And, as author Mike Clarke points out, it's certainly nothing like as seen on TV!

Mike gives a genuine behind the scenes look at what it was like being involved in Immigration Control in and around London, working at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports, then actually on the streets of London itself.

All of the stories contained in his book are utterly true. Though some names and some details may well have been changed in order to protect the innocent and the not-so-innocent. And also, as Mike points out, the details are as accurate as his own fallible memory allows.

There's the story of the Nigerian bank robber who was apprehended at the airport with the proceeds of his bank robbery found badly concealed about his person.

He was sent back to Nigeria. And was executed by firing squad almost as soon as he had been bundled off the plane.

There were forged passports, some that were so clever that they were hard to spot (these were the long ago days before barcodes and pre-electronics)  and some that were so badly done that the Immigration Control officers must have wondered exactly what on earth they had been thinking!

For example the man who had on hi date of birth no day, no month, just the year of 1845.

This would have made him to be 127 years of age.

And in the space for occupation was written 'witchdoctor.'

The passport had stamps in it showing he had visited the UK several times had had only ever made short visits each time.

So, was he really 127 years of age?

He was, once again, allowed in to the country. Probably just as well, really...

There were stories of 'helpful' MPs sticking their noses in to cases, a weird assortment of liars and chancers (that's not the MPs, by the way) and people who pretended to be children but who, in reality, were almost certainly were really adult Pakistanis, one of whom had x-rays but forgot he had a finger missing, or not, according to his x-rays. Or could this mean they weren't actually his x-rays. Oops!

This book is well worth the £9.99 price. It's published by Matador and will be available from all good shops, including the That's Books and Entertainment book shop which you will find to the right hand side of this book review.

Release From Stasis The Future is now

Release From Stasis The Future is now is a new novel by scientist, writer and author Dr Graham Clingbine, BSc, MSc.

The book is set in a far, distant future. Earth is dramatically different, it is under constant bombardment with deadly solar radiation which is being emitted by the ageing Sun.

John Powell -the father of Kevin Powell, seen in the earlier novel Disclosure, is the last surviving member of the human race.

He has a scheme to help repopulate the Earth by kidnapping humans from the past times of planet Earth and genetically modifying them so that they would be able to survive in the harsh environment of future Earth.

But there is a violent solar eruption that is so unprecedented in its sheer violence that all of his human test subjects are wiped out.

John Powell takes his family and a few other survivors aboard a spaceship and they flee planet Earth to undertake a long journey through space, safely placed in stasis.

When they become released from stasis John and his family are bewildered to discover that the other occupants of the ship have formed to opposing religions, Muons and Pions.

The groups are divided one against the other and, as a consequence, are at war.

John and his family decide to escape from the strife and, by employing a time-travel portal device, they are able to leave the ship and return to an earlier incarnation of Earth and start over, again.

The ship carrying the Muons and the Pions lands on a planet that is habitable and the two groups are left to work out their own destinies.

This science fiction novel costs £9.99 paperback and £15.99 haqrdback and is available from the That's Books and Entertainment book shop, which you will find to the right hand side of this book review.

Grand Vizier of Krar Strings of Destiny

Grand Vizier of Krar Strings of Destiny is the launch of a new voice in fantasy fiction, retired lawyer W. John Tucker.

The story introduces Blan and her followers and allies.

Blan and her adherents are trying to introduce a more advanced civilisation in a far distant future time on planet Earth, which is recovering after a catastrophic calamity almost destroyed all life on it.

But they are battling with an enemy who seeks to dominate mankind and planet Earth.

Sailing ships are, again, plying the high seas and seek safe ports.

Blan would like to continue to stay living in her peaceful seaside village. But she knows this will not be possible and she has to leave her village.

Blan is kidnapped by pirates and, upon obtaining her freedom, is horrified to discover that she has fallen into the clutches of the Black Knight, who wants her for his own bedchamber.

But Blan is made of stronger material than that and she uses her knowledge and wits to confront a great evil and to fulfil what is her true destiny.

But she must also rescue her own grandfather who is injured. He is a most important man as he possesses a special, secret knowledge that is vital to the ambitions of the Black Knight.

Great and terrible forces of tremendous evil face them. They meet with apparently insurmountable odds.

But can Blan and her followers and allies face them down and succeed?

If you are a fan of fantasy novels, or if you have a fantasy novel fan to buy a present for, then buy this book at the That's Bools and Entertainment Book Shop which you will find to the right hand side of this book review.

It's a stirring and exciting book and it costs £15.99, published by Matador.