The Great Detective Returns! is a collection of new Sherlock Holmes short stories by N.M. Scott.
There is nothing wrong with the stories, but I was left with a feeling that they could have been so much better than they were. Nowhere near enough was made of Holmes' vast knowledge of the forensic sciences, and it appears that the Holmes of these stories almost stumbled upon his deductions by accident.
There were a few points that made it clear that, despite the deliberate impression that the stories were by Dr Watson an Englishman of the late 19th and early 20th Century, that the stories are written in the 21st Century and this did jar a little, it has to be said.
However, having said that the book is a hardback by the Book Guild and at £16.99 will make the dedicated Sherlock Holmes fan an admirable stocking filler.
ISBN 978 1 84624 955 6.
www.bookguild.co.uk
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Sunday, 6 October 2013
That's Christmas: An ideal Christmas gift for the young history buff...
That's Christmas: An ideal Christmas gift for the young history buff...: The hardback book the Little Book of Monarchs by Tony Boullemier is jam-packed with interesting historical snippets about the men and women ...
Sunday, 30 June 2013
Fatal Tears. The Journeys of Rupert Windfield by Stuart Fifield
Rupert Windfield is young, he is an
Egyptologist but then he decided to escape from his family and even
his career.
Soon he has thrown it all over for a
somewhat dubious career as a tour guide on a Nile paddle steamer.
The Great War (still yet to gain the
title First World War) was now a memory and, once again, wealthy were in Egypt once again, thronging to
look at the remains of one of antiquities' former great civilisations.
At first, the trip is normal. Or as
normal as one can expect with a varied collection of the indolent,
the ignorant and the prejudiced all in the mobile hothouse that was a
Nile paddle steamer.
But soon, young Winfield realises that
not is all that it seems on this journey. Some of the guests have
secrets, some seem to be more than they might appear at first
glimpse.
Accidents start to happen. But why?
What is happening? Why is it happening?
This thriller ranges through time and space
amongst various locations in Africa and beyond. Stuart Fifield spent
time growing up in Uganda and Kenya, where his father was a civil
servant. He later lived in the Seychelles and South Africa and he was
able to use his experiences as a foundation stone for his novel.
It is published in hardback at £17.99
by the Book Guild. The ISBN is 978 1 84624 872 6.
Viking Ventures by Barbara Robertson
Viking Ventures is a fictional story written by Barbara Robertson for children aged nine and upwards.
Although the book is fictional you should be aware that the historical details are very accurate as Barbara Robertson is no slouch when it comes to undertaking meticulous and detailed research for her books.
Harriet, Jake and Matthew are spending the summer holidays with their grandmother who lives in the seaside resort of Ormsthorpe.
But one storm-tossed night, under the light of a full moon, something extraordinary happens. The three siblings are magically transported back to the days of the Vikings!
They meet Olaf and Sigrid who teach them all about the ways of the Vikings.
They sorrowfully tell Jake and Matthew how their own dear children have been kidnapped during a raid and enslaved by the terrifying raiders.
And they ask their new-found friends to help rescue the children. But first, they must devise a cunning stratagem to effect the rescue.
We follow the children as they disguise themselves as Vikings, board a Viking Longship and embark on a perilous and potentially deadly secret mission to rescue the children!
The story is very well told, the author is a qualified and experienced teacher, which has certainly helped the book to become the excellent work that it is. But Barbara Robertson is also a storyteller in the ancient traditional of storytelling, which shines forth in this enchanting book.
It's a book that parents and teachers can read to children (please keep in mind that Viking history is part of the National Curriculum) or that children will be delighted to read for themselves.
There are also some evocative and excellent pencil drawings by Michael Avery.
It is a hardback book costing £9.99, published by Book Guild Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84624-873-3.
Editor: The end of the book leaves open the opportunity for the three children to enjoy further adventures in history. Here's hoping they will arrive on the bookshelves sooner, rather than later!
Although the book is fictional you should be aware that the historical details are very accurate as Barbara Robertson is no slouch when it comes to undertaking meticulous and detailed research for her books.
Harriet, Jake and Matthew are spending the summer holidays with their grandmother who lives in the seaside resort of Ormsthorpe.
But one storm-tossed night, under the light of a full moon, something extraordinary happens. The three siblings are magically transported back to the days of the Vikings!
They meet Olaf and Sigrid who teach them all about the ways of the Vikings.
They sorrowfully tell Jake and Matthew how their own dear children have been kidnapped during a raid and enslaved by the terrifying raiders.
And they ask their new-found friends to help rescue the children. But first, they must devise a cunning stratagem to effect the rescue.
We follow the children as they disguise themselves as Vikings, board a Viking Longship and embark on a perilous and potentially deadly secret mission to rescue the children!
The story is very well told, the author is a qualified and experienced teacher, which has certainly helped the book to become the excellent work that it is. But Barbara Robertson is also a storyteller in the ancient traditional of storytelling, which shines forth in this enchanting book.
It's a book that parents and teachers can read to children (please keep in mind that Viking history is part of the National Curriculum) or that children will be delighted to read for themselves.
There are also some evocative and excellent pencil drawings by Michael Avery.
It is a hardback book costing £9.99, published by Book Guild Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84624-873-3.
Editor: The end of the book leaves open the opportunity for the three children to enjoy further adventures in history. Here's hoping they will arrive on the bookshelves sooner, rather than later!
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion
The Oxford Dictionary of Reference and Allusion, by Andrew Delhunty and Shelia Dignen is a reference work that really should grace the shelves of anyone with a passion for, or a professional relationship, with words and language.
Allusions are a colourful way of illustrating points, of getting ideas across and of expanding on the use of our language.
But that allusion that everyone draws on so readily? Where does it come from? Who first coined it as an allusion? Who wrote it or said it in the first place?
This A to Z work is a masterful effort to show the who, why and what of allusions that are often common currency, linguistically speaking, but the origins of which may be uncertain or unknown.
In this brilliantly written and well-researched reference work you will find out all you need to know and some stuff that although you might not have needed to know, you will be better off for knowing!
At £10.99 this Oxford University Press book is a modestly priced ticket to allow you to gain entry to the wonderful world of allusion!
And you will find out that all is not as it seems! For example, "Naughty but Nice" was not originated in the 1970s as part of a campaign to promote cream cakes. Although it was certainly used in this campaign, its real origin was as the title of a music hall song published in 1871!
ISBN 978-0-19-956746-1.
Allusions are a colourful way of illustrating points, of getting ideas across and of expanding on the use of our language.
But that allusion that everyone draws on so readily? Where does it come from? Who first coined it as an allusion? Who wrote it or said it in the first place?
This A to Z work is a masterful effort to show the who, why and what of allusions that are often common currency, linguistically speaking, but the origins of which may be uncertain or unknown.
In this brilliantly written and well-researched reference work you will find out all you need to know and some stuff that although you might not have needed to know, you will be better off for knowing!
At £10.99 this Oxford University Press book is a modestly priced ticket to allow you to gain entry to the wonderful world of allusion!
And you will find out that all is not as it seems! For example, "Naughty but Nice" was not originated in the 1970s as part of a campaign to promote cream cakes. Although it was certainly used in this campaign, its real origin was as the title of a music hall song published in 1871!
ISBN 978-0-19-956746-1.
Sunday, 10 March 2013
A Dreadful Murder. The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard
This book, The Mysterious Death of Caroline Luard, is by top selling and award winning crime novelist Minette Walters.
However, this book is different to her fictional offerings, as it is the true story of how the callous, brutal murder of an innocent woman caused the community of Ightham to become embroiled in a vile hate campaign against the husband of the victim, Major-General Charles Luard, who, according to vicious rumours, had callously slain his wife and then played the part of the grieving husband.
How the case remained one of the unsolved (even to this day, 105 years later) murder cases on the records of Kent Constabulary.
Walters goes back to the basics of the case and examines the statements of the witnesses who were interviewed by the police.
Walters explains why she believes that Charles Luard was innocent of the crime, but she does indicate that she feels the police were wrong to blame a passing vagrant criminal for the murder, she believes that the murder was committed by someone who was local and, probably known to Caroline Luard.
However, Walters explains her reasoning and points out that the tragedy of Mrs Luard's death were to have further, equally tragic outcomes.
The book is part of the innovative Quick Reads series and costs £1.00. To learn more about this series of book you can visit www.quickreads.org.uk.
However, this book is different to her fictional offerings, as it is the true story of how the callous, brutal murder of an innocent woman caused the community of Ightham to become embroiled in a vile hate campaign against the husband of the victim, Major-General Charles Luard, who, according to vicious rumours, had callously slain his wife and then played the part of the grieving husband.
How the case remained one of the unsolved (even to this day, 105 years later) murder cases on the records of Kent Constabulary.
Walters goes back to the basics of the case and examines the statements of the witnesses who were interviewed by the police.
Walters explains why she believes that Charles Luard was innocent of the crime, but she does indicate that she feels the police were wrong to blame a passing vagrant criminal for the murder, she believes that the murder was committed by someone who was local and, probably known to Caroline Luard.
However, Walters explains her reasoning and points out that the tragedy of Mrs Luard's death were to have further, equally tragic outcomes.
The book is part of the innovative Quick Reads series and costs £1.00. To learn more about this series of book you can visit www.quickreads.org.uk.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
That book on Amazon you want to buy. Is it new?
Recently I searched for a certain paperback book on Amazon.co.uk and found what I wanted at £5.96. It was to be part of a Birthday present and I almost had it giftwapped by Amazon but forgot to order this service, having the book delivered to me, instead.
It was a good job that I did not have it giftwrapped because when the book arrived it was in a very poor state with the spine suffering from damage and the photographic section in the middle on the point of detaching itself.
To make matters worse, even though I'd paid £5.96 for the book, on the cover of the book was a charity shop sticker with the price of £1.50!
I complained and got a refund, which is being processed now, but it has made me wary of ordering further books from Amazon.co.uk.
It was a good job that I did not have it giftwrapped because when the book arrived it was in a very poor state with the spine suffering from damage and the photographic section in the middle on the point of detaching itself.
To make matters worse, even though I'd paid £5.96 for the book, on the cover of the book was a charity shop sticker with the price of £1.50!
I complained and got a refund, which is being processed now, but it has made me wary of ordering further books from Amazon.co.uk.
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