Visitors to London, especially those from outside of the UK, who wish to see the remnants of early Victorian London are probably going to be somewhat disappointed, although this is not just a recent thing, As the author argues, the truth is that the London of Dickens's time was already being lost before the end of the Victorian era & his writing was beginning to be thought of as 'old hat' by then too.

TLDR: This is very much a historical fiction novel with elements of horror towards the end. Overall, I thought it was nicely done with the dual timelines of present-day & London 1769 working well here & a fitting, if slightly rushed ending. 3.75🌟

My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, VERVE Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Full Review & TWs: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7463737218
Read 17th - 19th Sept 2025

The plotline itself was well thought out, with the mixing of the two timelines & the gradual reveals, but for me, I'm afraid the characters rather spoiled things. Dolly Dove seemed to have almost no personality & I had no strong feelings about what happened to her character, Fern was just annoying, & did Nell have to be quite so useless at everything? I also found the ending to be rather melodramatic. (continued)

“If the man with the skull cup offers you a drink, accept it or you will die a gruesome death; don‘t buy ice from the children with no wagon; and of course, never ever follow the lights.“

Oh, this started off so well....but soon degenerated into a bit of a dog's dinner. The first chapter details the rules for staying at the campground & it really sets the scene & is very intriguing. (continued)

Ruby is now working for the League, leading a team of teens with special abilities to try & bring down the corrupt government. The League learn of a possible breakthrough, the reason why they developed these abilities & possibly a way to treat it. This valuable information is safely stored on a flashdrive & Ruby is sent on a side mission to retrieve it (continued)

This is my reading list or TBR list for #HauntedShelf this year (also will use most for #SPNBookBingo2025 too).

I have a sizeable pile of NG ARCs next month alongside some other books I'd like to read. May be one or too mood reads dropped in as well. Probably won't get to read them all but it's something to aim for.

@Puddlejumper

A short vignette, rather than a memoir, of the author's life as Diocesan Property Secretary for the Anglican Church of England for over 30 years. The author reflects on those he worked with & the characters he met, alongside the buildings & land he was responsible for.

“With encounters recounted that range from wacky and hilarious, to thought-provoking and historical“ hmm I didn't really find any of them as described above (continued)

Four true crime cases where the circumstances &/or evidence have led those investigating to be unsure whether it was murder, suicide, or accidental death.

Some interesting cases here that I had never heard about before. To me they all seem like pretty clear cut cases of murder from what's laid out in the book, but apart from the first case no-one seems to have been charged with anything (continued)

Oxford, 1920 & 4 young female students, Ottoline aka “Otto“, Marianne, Beatrice, & Dora arrive at the university to start their studies. From different backgrounds, the girls are all allocated rooms on Corridor 8 of St Hugh's College, leading to their friendships & camaraderie against the misogyny which still stalks the halls of Oxford University.

Not too long now before spooky month begins & I know some people like to plan out their reading so, below is the link for the rules, prompts, & bingo card for next month's #SPNBookBingo2025 readathon, running as part of #HauntedShelf for 1st-31st Oct inclusive. It can also be completed on its own.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LwU6JHTqUUeHXc5g7LU8CgiPijeQ1ohv?usp=sha...

Please let me know if the link doesn't work.

Failed actor, Jenna Miller, is in a dead-end job whilst taking care of her sick mother. A chance encounter with an old friend at a class reunion sees Jenna attend a conference for influencers & win the chance to attend an exclusive influencer retreat with the 3 hottest influencers around: Venus, Sydney Blue, & Suki. The jet-set luxury lifestyle sweeps Jenna along until she realises there's an unsettling undercurrent of something not quite right.

King Philip II, ruler of France (medieval England's ultimate enemy) for over 40 years, tussled with & variously befriended King Henry II of England & his 4 sons, always to his own advantage. Seemingly the consummate early politician & Machiavellian manoeuvrer behind the scenes, Philip outdid & outlived them all.

This is not a definitive biography of Philip II but his dealings with the Plantagenet kings: Henry II, Richard I, John, & Henry III.

This is a harrowing read at times due to the subject & the roadblocks that 'Jane Doe' & the investigators of the case faced. It was soul-destroying to read the numerous setbacks that were experienced in the quest for justice & it is no wonder that so many survivors give up.

The author looks at the changes & breakthroughs in forensics which allows cold cases to now be solved using techniques which were not available back then, (continued)

Think you know the truth about the legend of Medusa, the famed Gorgon who turned men to stone with one look? Think again. Tired of being misrepresented for centuries, this is Medusa's story from the woman herself.

I really liked this one, I felt the author did a really nice job on illuminating the human side of Medusa's story rather than the monster of the usual tales. (continued)

Every year at Brighton & Hove academy, an elite boarding school in New England, eight students are chosen to take part in a two-week exclusive writers‘ retreat, but only one of them will walk out with a life-changing opportunity. This year's eight students include previous couple, Effy & Arlo , who haven't spoken for 3 years since Arlo ghosted Effy right after they hooked up. The mentor for this year's retreat is Meredith Graffam, (continued)

Announcing the second year of my October readathon based on TV show Supernatural: #SPNBookBingo2025

There's no need to have watched the show & all reading genres welcome.

It will also be running as part of #HauntedShelf hosted by @puddlejumper although it can be completed on its own. There is also a giveaway for 1 lucky winner.

No sign-up form, just comment below to get further updates on prompts/card later on this month.

@LitsyEvents

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, ghost hunting & spiritualism was perhaps at its peak in popularity, & some people, perhaps wishing to cash in on the popularity of ghost hunts meaning easy pickings for pickpockets, or even just the momentary attention, perpetuated hoax hauntings. This book looks at 12 hauntings where the evidence is examined more closely & suggest that the ghostly figures were of a more earthly origin.

#HauntedShelf is back again in October!

Sign-up link below & also check out @Puddlejumper posts for further info including 3 activities to earn those early points.

https://forms.gle/wmcY27wyx6awp3EfA

2025 Re-read:

I think my 2022 review pretty much holds up for this re-read so nothing much more to say. 4.5🌟

2022 review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4657792116
Read 29th-31st Aug 2025

#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES
#SeriesLove2025 @thespineview

A look at the strange ways people met their demise in the Tudor age (roughly the 16th century with a bit of overlap), which includes death by bovine or “suddenly, cow“, blundering into cesspits whilst stumbling around in the dark, or shooting arrows through the walls of houses & being surprised when you actually hit someone.

I have a lot of fiction ARCs this month, so all my #ReadYourKindle picks are nonfiction for September.

@CBee

Just could not get into this short story collection at all. DNF @ 23%

#ReadYourKindle @CBee
#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

1794 & the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel is being hampered in its mission. Lady Marguerite is under house arrest on charges of treason & espionage, whilst her husband (& leader of the League) Sir Percy Blakeney is having to keep away lest he is also imprisoned. It is left to Eleanor, former maid, & now a promising mage to assist in rescuing Lady Marguerite. (continued)

A look at the history & cultures which have developed by the side of three of Europe's greatest rivers: the Rhine, the Rhone & the Po. Following them from their sources in the mountains, we see the way these rivers have shaped the landscape & the lives of those who have lived near them.

I enjoyed this mix of history (I didn't know that Da Vinci was the one to pioneer the canal lock system of raising & lowering the waterline to transport boats),

After a tough start, Martine McCutcheon was initially a member of short-lived girl-group 'Milan' in the early 90s, before finally finding fame on 'Eastenders' as Tiffany Raymond (better known as Tiffany Mitchell after marrying Grant Mitchell). At the height of her popularity on the soap, McCutcheon decides to try to resurrect her singing career & stars in the stage adaptation of 'My Fair Lady', but finds herself plagued with ill health.

The 7th case for DS Washington Poe & analyst, Tilly Bradshaw, sees them hunting for a deadly sniper. With a body count of 17 & rising, the killer never misses but it's difficult to track them or predict their next move as their targets & locations seem to be completely random. Poe & Bradshaw are the best there is, but how do you catch a killer who never makes a mistake?

A history of some of the people who were sent to Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum (as it was then known) which opened in 1863. People who were tried for committing a crime but found unfit to plead or not responsible for their actions due to insanity under the Trial of Lunatics Act (1883), were sent to places such as Broadmoor - often for the rest of their natural life. Later residents included Peter Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper) & Ronnie Kray,

At Chloe Harper‘s sweet 16 party, the birthday girl & classmate Mel end up in a car accident totalling Chloe's new car. The two girls have never been friends & afterwards they keep their distance - in public at least. You see the two girls not only had that accident but they killed Toby Dunne, the boy who had been terrorising Mel's brother amongst other things, & they buried him in the woods.

The sixth case for Det Sergeant Washington Poe & analyst Tilly Bradshaw sees them investigate the murder of a man found tied to a tree & stoned to death. How does his death tie into the murder of 3 members of the same family 15 years earlier?

The case is already in the past in this book & the reader hears about it through Poe relating the story to a therapist. Yes, this case was so dark it gave Poe PTSD, (continued)

Short Review: One of the classic Miss Marple stories, this one has been adapted several times & in fact was the first Miss Marple film ever made, featuring Margaret Rutherford. This is a fast-paced murder mystery with quite a large cast of characters. Miss Marple spends most of the time 'off screen' but does make several appearances throughout the story but mainly investigating through proxy Lucy Eyelesbarrow. Very enjoyable read. 4🌟

For centuries, Clodia has been vilified as a promiscuous woman who murdered her husband, all thanks to one of Cicero‘s most famous speeches during the trial of her ex-lover. The truth is in fact much more complex & nuanced & this book examines the contemporary evidence to remove the caricature & see the real Clodia underneath.

There's a great deal of well-researched history here about subjects such as voting procedures, careers in office,

A fictional take on the real lives of the Brontë sisters (although Branwell features too) from the early tragic death of their mother & older sisters to the dawn of Charlotte's marriage to Arthur Bell Nicholls.

It was an interesting read with some surprisingly strong language in parts. I don't know why but the tragic deaths of these talented women juxtaposed with their writing talents & what more could have been never fails to raise a tear. 4🌟

The autobiography of 'Friends' star Matthew Perry is an honest, unflinching look at his life & his struggle with alcohol & drug addiction. I didn't realise it had gotten as bad as it was, taking 55 pills a day at some point & ending up in a coma for 2 weeks!

Perry is very frank with the fact that at times he was not a nice person to those around him, as Chandler would have said “Could I BE more of an asshole?“. (continued)

1993 & the narrator (we never know his name) is approached by a group of young filmmakers to play the pivotal role of, 'the Thin Kid', in their film “Horror Movie“. The film is completed but never released due to various incidents on set & over the years it has gained notoriety & cult status. Several decades later & the film is being rebooted & the only surviving original cast member (the narrator) is approached to reprise his role in the film.

Short Review: If you have read this author's books before you know what you are likely in for: a dark, sinuous tale like a snake wrapping itself around you before sinking its fangs into your skin. It didn't quite captivate me as much as the previous books I've read by the author though for some reason. It's a good read but for me it fails to hit the heights of 'The Shape of Darkness' or 'The Silent Companions'. 3.5🌟

Psychology graduate, Anna Varga, applies for a position at the Säter, notorious clinic for forensic psychiatry which underwent a recent scandal. Still, it's prestigious & would be a great career step, so even when Anna arrives at the clinic to start her new post & learns that her predecessor disappeared, she carries on.

Anna is asked to work with a new patient, a man who committed a well-planned murder but claims to have no memory of doing so.

Tessa Hart has severe agoraphobia & has lived in her room for the last year. Her one escape is the online world as part of the fandom for pop sensation Eric Thorn, as @TessaHeartsEric, & she writes a fanfic story which goes viral.

Eric Thorn feels trapped by his fame & frightened by the dedication of some of his fans, especially since a fellow pop star was murdered by an obsessive fan. (continued)

A collection of 15 cases which offer a glimpse into the world of forensic science & its use in solving crime.

Forensic science is endlessly fascinating to me & the real life cases obviously provided a wealth of knowledge, but unfortunately that didn't transfer into the written word. In the ARC version I had, it read as if a foreign language book had been translated into English by AI, it was phrased oddly & was very disjointed. (continued)

The Zapruder film: a staple in JFK documentaries & films, it is regarded as the most critical visual record of President Kennedy‘s assassination. This book asks what would it mean if it could be proved that this version is not the original footage captured by Abraham Zapruder on November 22, 1963?

It was certainly an interesting read & will add to the ever-growing pile of evidence that a conspiracy was covered up. 3.75🌟

Didn't manage to read any of last month's picks 😒 Hopefully August will be better.

#ReadYourKindle
@CBee

Good pace, a well-thought out plot, & two appealing main characters made this one of those books you can't put down! The narrative is told from both Lizzie & Bex's points of view & it lifts the lid on the disconnect that these women are selling traditional gender roles whilst raking in millions of dollars & that probably very little of what is seen online is real. (continued)

England, 1910 & John Innes Nisbet boarded a train to work, carrying with him the colliery wages as usual but by the end of the journey, his body was found stuffed underneath the carriage seats in an empty carriage compartment. Nisbet had been shot 5 times with 2 different guns & the money stolen. A local man, John Alexander Dickman was arrested after several witnesses saw Nisbet with a man identified as Dickman at the station before boarding.

Then: 1991 & 4 teenage girls form the Dead Girls Club. When Becca starts to tell stories about the Red Lady, the vengeful spirit of a witch murdered centuries before, things start to go wrong. The girls feel haunted by the witch & Becca says it's because the Red Lady is real. Heather doesn't want to believe it & insists that the stories are just stories & their friendship fractures until one night everything erupts. (continued)

When DCI Jane Tennison transferred to the Metropolitan police, she expected to be at the helm of some of the bigger cases, instead she has been handed everything the other DCIs didn't want to do. When a sex worker is found murdered in a bedsit, DCI John Shefford is given the case, even though Tennison was on call that night.

Just as Tennison starts to think that perhaps she will never be given a fair chance, (continued)

This is the story of two women trying to live & work in a man's world in 1981: Janice Starr, student & US Army veteran, & Det. Kay Schucker who investigated Janice's disappearance & eventually recovered her remains.

A really interesting case. What I liked about this one was the fact that although we got some background info on some of the other players in the case, the narrative didn't go off on tangents but kept the focus on the two women.

Investigators Lincoln Rhyme & Amelia Sachs are brought in to track down a dangerous human smuggler & killer known as the Ghost. He is currently onboard a cargo ship carrying two dozen illegal Chinese immigrants & Rhyme has pinpointed the ship's location, but the capture goes wrong & the ship starts to sink. Only two families & the Ghost survive the sinking, & they all disappear once reaching land (continued)

Famous actress & current Lady Edgware, Jane Wilkinson, asks Hercule Poirot to help her obtain a divorce from her husband, Lord Edgware. Poirot visits Lord Edgware, who surprisingly enough agrees to a divorce quite easily, but the next morning, Edgware is found murdered in his study.

Edgware's staff are adamant that Lady Edgware visited her estranged husband the night of his death, & she had 'joked' about bumping him off to people before,

This is a slightly underwhelming sequel to the first book (which I really enjoyed). There's some tragic deaths, adventure, & a smattering of romance (Violet remembers Ash but does he remember her?) & yet there's something missing. I think it's the fact that the plot seemed to barrel along without taking a breath & the ending seemed to be wrapped up far too quickly. 4🌟

Sanctuary, a small town in Connecticut, is shocked by the death of Daniel Whitman, star of the local college football team. Initially thought to be an accident during a party, rumours begin to circulate that he was killed by his ex-girlfriend, Harper Fenn, who was also at the party. Harper's mother, Sarah Fenn, is a registered witch & although Harper is said to have no magical powers whatsoever, gossip & paranoia begin to spread. (continued)

Following a serious neck injury which left him paralysed, Ed Jackson has defied the odds. Not only to walk again but to climb 'Himlung Himal', one of the Himalayan peaks which stands at just over 7000 feet high. Climbing can be a test of anyone's strength, endurance, & resilience, but especially if the climber has a physical disability. This particular peak had not been climbed for 2 years & this account details the journey, (continued)