I reviewed 4 books in October – 2 thrillers, a political satire and a romance.  All of them great!  

Brief info on each book is below; click on the links for my full review.

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How to Disappear by Gillian McAllister

This is a powerful psychological thriller where Lauren has to disappear, at very short notice,   into  witness protection, through no fault of her own.   As well as being an exciting and fast moving read, it made me think what it would be like if I found myself in a similar situation.   

This was a definite 5* thriller for me – I listened to it as an audiobook, narrated by one of my favourite actresses, Nicola Walker.

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Being Alert! by Charlie Laidlaw

I wasn’t sure how I would get on this with political satire, which looks at the UK government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.  Did I really want to read more on this subject?  Turned out I did, and it was laugh out loud, and really raised my spirits.   It was both funny and informative, with sections in italics showing the facts – though often the satire seemed to blend with the truth. 

As someone who has limited interest in politics, and has stopped reading all the press about the pandemic – apart from keeping up with current regulations, this recommendation from me is high praise indeed!

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Odd Bird by Lee Farnsworth

I fancied some light reading and enjoy idly watching the bird families in our garden.  So when I came across this romance tied in with bird research I grabbed it.  This is the wonderful story of Simon who knows all about the courtship of our feathered friends, but has no idea about girls – despite his mate’s advice over a few beers in the pub.  Simon is a great character, and the comparisons between bird and human courtship was amusing. 

All in all I found this a lovely gently humorous book. 

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Villain by Caro Savage

This is an “undercover agent” thriller, that kept me up reading late on many nights.    Bailey goes into deep cover to infiltrate a London gang, but also has family issues that she needs to find time for.  I was completely involved with Bailey and everything going on in her world.  I found the plot completely believable, and was glad the violence took place off the page. 

This is the first book I have read by this author – and it got 5*s from me.   This book is part of a series, but I found it great as a stand-alone read. 

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Wishing you all the best for November. Emma