Me and Mrs Jones
Billy Paul has died and hearing him singing ‘Me and Mrs Jones’ on the radio sent me straight back to 1972, when the song was everywhere. The exams were over and there were long hot summer days when I seemed to have all the time in the world to hang out with my friends, to read, […]
The day I met Mr Rochester
Last weekend North Lees Hall, near Hathersage in Derbyshire, was open to the public. The hall, a late Elizabethan tower house, is thought to be the inspiration for Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë visited it several times when she was staying with her friend Ellen Nussey. It resembles the fictional Thornfield in having […]
Moira and I read Tony and Susan
More blog fun with Moira over at ClothesinBooks.com. We’ve decided to blog about the same book, one selected by Moira this time. Actually she gave me a shortlist of four from which I chose Tony and Susan (1993) by Austin Wright. The premise sounded intriguing: ‘Many years after their divorce, Susan Morrow receives a strange gift from […]
A criminally good time in Norwich
One of the greatest pleasure of my life as a crime-writer has been my membership of the Crimer Writers’ Association. I have made some wonderful friends whose support over the years has meant a great deal and I have visited some lovely places for the CWA annual conference, which is always held outside London. Last […]
When it’s time to leave the party
I’m currently reading a very enjoyable series, Ellie Griffiths’ Ruth Galloway books. I read the first, The Crossing Places, a few years ago and it didn’t really take, but after the series was recommended by my friend Moira over at http://Clothesinbooks,com, I tried again with A Room Full of Bones and this time it did. I […]