Caroline

Much has been written about the notorious Whitechapel murderer known as Jack the Ripper, from the Penny Dreadfuls of that time, to various books down through the years positing theories as to his identity. For almost 140 years, the world has been fascinated by Jack the Ripper, how he evaded capture, and who he might be.

But what of his victims? In the shadow of the Ripper's notoriety, these women were barely given a second thought. The world forgot that they were someone's daughter, sister, wife, mother. No one told their story. That all changed thanks to Hallie Rubenhold.

The Five is, as it's cover states, the untold story of the five victims of Jack the Ripper. It's not an easy read, but theirs were not easy lives, living as they did in poverty, in the slums of the Eastend of London.

The Five is a book that was crying out to be written, and it is a book that should be read, just as all those books about Jack have been read. It should be read so that we may understand something of the lives of these women that time forgot. Their names were:

Polly Nichols

Annie Chapman

Elizabeth Stride

Catherine Eddowes

Mary Jane Kelly

They deserve to be remembered.

Meet Florence Grimes, thirtysomething ex-singer from girl band Girl's Night, sister of Brooke, mother to 10 year old Dylan, and chaos personified. Disaster, thy name is Florence.

A couple of chapters in, it was plain to see why all the other mother's hated her. I wasn't feeling too enamored myself.

For all her faults, and there are many, Florence does love her son, although her parenting skills leave much to be desired. When she suspects that Dylan may know more about the disappearance of one of his classmates than he's let on, Florence decides to investigate, with the help of new friend Jenny.

This was quite a fun read. Yes, I know there's a missing child and other criminal activities, but it's hard not to laugh at some of Florence's hare brained schemes, and the situations she finds herself in.

FYI: By the end of the book I was starting to like Florence. 🐢

Thanks to 4th Estate Books and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

I'm quite enjoying this quirky series of Victorian sleuthing. Once again Gyles Brandreth manages to seamlessly blend fiction with real life events and historical figures. It is clear that a lot of painstaking research has gone into these books, and I love that I am learning a little piece of history as the story unfolds.

The Dead Man's Smile takes us back to the early 1880's, and finds Oscar Wilde touring America. He then travels to Paris in 1883, where he meets Robert Sherard for the first time. There the two are witnesses to several tragedies. Were they accidents, or was something more sinister at play? Well, you'll just have to read it to find out.

If you like historical crime fiction, this might be the series for you.

I love heartwarming stories, especially if those stories feature dogs. Thus it was a given that I would read Max: The Miracle Dog.

The first few chapters of the book are far from heartwarming. More like heartbreaking, dealing as they do, with Kerry's childhood, followed by a car accident in adulthood which led to depression and suicidal thoughts.

Then Kerry met Max, and a bond was formed and the lives of man and dog changed for the better. Man and dog went on to inspire, and change the lives of others.

As a dog lover this book resonated with me, because growing up there were always Springer Spaniels around, thanks to my Dad. I also believe that life really is better with a dog. 🐕

I love a good small town mystery, with twists aplenty, and the odd red herring. I also love an injection of humour. Everyone In The Group Chat Dies provided both. 📱

I'm going to assume that you have read the blurb, so I'm not going to rehash it. The story is told from the POV of Claire 'Kirby' Cornell, and is told across two timelines; present day, and twelve months ago.

It's fast paced, and an oh so entertaining, quick read.

All of the characters are likeable, even the bad guy. When the big reveal came, let me just say, I did not see that coming! 😮

I loved this book. I devoured this book. Would I recommend it to everyone? You bet I would.

Thanks to Aries Fiction, Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's always nice to stumble upon an author I haven't previously read. Satu Rämö is one such example, and I'm glad I decided to satisfy my curiosity.

The Clues In The Fjord is a straightforward slice of Icelandic noir. There are no complex plot twists or pointless red herrings. Despite this I still failed to work out the who and the why until the detectives did.

This is a slow paced story, but it's worth sticking with.

The location in the Westfjords, coupled with the snow and frost lend an air of bleakness to this atmospheric thriller.

I like Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series, but now, after reading Eleven Numbers, I also like Lee Child stories that don't feature Jack Reacher.

Eleven Numbers is a clever little short story, a tale of present day espionage with a mathematician as its central character.

If you like short stories and espionage, you could do worse than this. At 50 pages, it's the perfect way to while away half an hour.

I picked this book as part of my January First Reads on Kindle.

As a dog lover, this book was a must read for me. I was well aware of Finn, and the campaign to bring in Finn's Law, as I've been following Fabulous Finn on social media. I wanted to know more though.

I knew this was going to be an emotional read, but I didn't expect to be crying into my coffee straight away. 😥

Fabulous Finn is an informative insight into the life of a Police Dog and its handler, and the bravery of each and every one of them. The fact that the deliberate injury to one of these dogs was once considered criminal damage, is certainly food for thought. 🐕

Despite the many times I cried while reading this book, there were a few light hearted moments. Some of Finn's antics reminded me of my own dogs, past and present. 🐕

Dog lovers, if you haven't read Fabulous Finn, you should, but have the tissues at the ready. 😥🐕

My first book choice for 2025 certainly had an interesting premise. Imagine having a chip implanted in your head that enabled you to hear your partner's thoughts, and further imagine that your partner also had a chip implanted so that they could hear yours. It would feel kind of intrusive, wouldn't it? Especially if you've been keeping secrets from your partner.

Such is the premise of Always On My Mind. I've shared as much of the plot as I'm willing to. Suffice to say this is quite a chilling, psychological thriller. The male protagonist, Elijah, gives off stalker vibes from the very first chapter.

He loves his technology, and the house he and Anna live in has all the latest gadgets, giving the story a sci-fi feel. Anna however, has an almost luddite attitude towards the tech.

Sadly, none of the characters are likeable. I struggled to find a single redeeming feature in any of them. That said, I enjoyed Always On My Mind. It made for a good start to the year.

Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.