Three Crime Stories Reviewed
I usually review about one book a month on my blog, but I did much less reading of novels last year than I usually do because I was working on Burke and the War of 1812 and a lot of my reading was about Native Americans and the politics of the time. Anyway, the book...
A story featuring ‘our oldest ally’
Since I visited Portugal to research for Burke and the Lines of Torres Vedras, I’ve been a fan of the country and its long relationship with England. I've been quite irritated in the last few weeks to keep hearing that America is “our oldest ally”. Whether you think...
Book review: The Maid and the Mid
A short review this week of a novella by Jennifer Newbold. She has been lamenting that it's difficult to get reviews for indie historical fiction, something that I may have mentioned here from time to time. So if any of you have read any HistFic lately (or ever) and...
Art Deco and tango
The term ‘Art Deco’ didn’t get much use until the 1960s, but its origins are usually traced to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Art Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, so the UK Art Deco Society will be celebrating with an art deco ball at the end of...
A short story for Valentine’s Day
It's been a long time since I wrote a Galbraith & Pole book. I've been tied down with the next of my James Burke historical novels for almost a year, but it's out there with beta readers now, so I've had time to think about my vampire policeman, Pole, and his...
More about vampires
For Valentine’s Day this year, I’ve decided to show a little more of this side of my favourite vampire. Next Friday, my blog will be carrying a FREE short story, Love, Death, and Tango.
Book review: The Vampires of York Tower
There have been stories of vampires – or something very like vampires – for thousands of years. Modern ideas about vampires can be traced back to mediaeval times, with vampire myths being particularly popular in Eastern Europe. Vampires entered English fiction in the...
Quicksilver Captain
Jacqueline Reiter fans (and there are many) will know that she has been working on her biography of Sir Home Popham for so long that I’m not sure that her subject (died 1820) wasn’t still alive when she started writing. Late last year, the book was finally published...
The War of 1812
Search ‘1812’ on your favourite social media platform and you’ll get a surprising number of hits for a war from 213 years ago. Until a few weeks back, I doubt one person in a thousand could tell you anything about the war if they lived in either Britain or America....
York House: a grand house on the Thames
This is York House, the town hall in Twickenham It has a very French look to it, doesn't it? I'd guessed it was built in the 19th century and much of its appearance now dates back to the second half of the 19th century when it was remodelled by the Duc d’Orleans after...