Cross & Sampson opening lines: My best friend, Alex Cross, has been my favourite ride-along ever since he joined the force, and that was a long time ago - before we both sported gray hair. My blurb: Damon Cross is missing, and Alex will move heaven and earth to find him. Bree cannot assist him … Continue reading Cross & Sampson, James Patterson
Category: Reviews
Gone Before Goodbye, Harlan Coben
Gone Before Goodbye opening lines: I don't hear the scream. The nurse does. So does the anesthesiologist. I am too deep in the zone, the zone I can only enter in an operating theatre, when a sternum is cracked open like this, and my hands are inside the boy's chest. My blurb: Maggie knows Marc … Continue reading Gone Before Goodbye, Harlan Coben
Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen
Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen is a recipe book for life's journey, starting in childhood. The recipes are great stepping stones to get youngsters involved in the kitchen. Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen is a cookbook for the next generation. Written in Jan Braai’s signature style, the easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes can be enjoyed … Continue reading Jan Braai Junior In The Kitchen
Kartika, Amsterdam
When we went to The Netherlands in 2023 a friend of mine recommended that we go to Kartika for dinner. Sadly, we could not fit it in with our stay in Amsterdam, so this year we made sure we could get a booking. In fact, we scheduled our first night just to go and dine … Continue reading Kartika, Amsterdam
Annabel and Her Sisters, Catherine Alliott
Annabel and Her Sisters opening lines: As I crunched up the long gravel drive to my sister's house, rattling over the cattle grids and returning the baleful stares of the lugubrious longhorn cows, I saw that I was not the only one to arrive early. My blurb: Annabel thinks her mother should downsize, rather than … Continue reading Annabel and Her Sisters, Catherine Alliott
Revenge of Odessa, Frederick Forsyth
Revenge of Odessa opening lines: Senator Jack Johnson admired his new, tailor-made tuxedo in the mirror. It fitted perfectly, and so it should: it had cost more than his first car. My blurb: Georg is chasing a story, the latest killing spree of Muslim extremists. Following the wounded to the hospital, he stumbles upon something … Continue reading Revenge of Odessa, Frederick Forsyth
Food Trail South Africa, Warren Mendes
Letting food be his guide, Warren has stumbled on some incredible places. Our rainbow nation has produced a melting pot of flavours and our cuisine is like no other because of the people who settled here from all over the world. He shares his adventures and recipes in his book, Food Trail South Africa. Embark … Continue reading Food Trail South Africa, Warren Mendes
My Unicorn Speaks Zulu
In My Unicorn Speaks Zulu, children get a chance to see things from a new perspective, in a place they may never go, and experience a culture they may never experience. My Unicorn Speaks Zulu When a Unicorn, who can speak Zulu, meets a young Zulu girl in a forest, a beautiful friendship is born. … Continue reading My Unicorn Speaks Zulu
How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You
Following on from How Many Ways Can You Say Goodbye?, Sara is back in the hot air balloon to learn How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You. This is the third book in the series, with the first one being How Many Ways Can You Say Hello?. How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You … Continue reading How Many Ways Can You Say Thank You
Wolf Hour, Jo Nesbo
Wolf Hour opening lines: 'And what is the purpose of your visit, Mr Holger Rudi?' The CBP officer looks at me without interest as he scratches his upper arm just below the emblem of the US Customs and Border Protection service. My blurb: Holger Rudi is here to tell a story about Mike Lunde. But, … Continue reading Wolf Hour, Jo Nesbo
Klein Jan, Jan Hendrik Van Der Westhuizen
This recipe book pays homage to Klein Jan, the restaurant, and Jan Hendrik's experiences of growing up on a farm. Jan-Hendrik embraces the concept of creating something from nothing and leaving this world better than he found it. The inspiration behind Restaurant Klein JAN did not come from a desire to create a fine dining experience … Continue reading Klein Jan, Jan Hendrik Van Der Westhuizen
The Picasso Heist, James Patterson
The Picasso Heist opening lines: Tennis anyone? Growing up, I remember my mother really wanting me to learn how to play the sport. My blurb: Halston needs to play the long game. She has everyone on her side including the most important players in her scenario. And to succeed she needs to make sure everyone … Continue reading The Picasso Heist, James Patterson
She Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena
She Didn't See It Coming opening lines: Bryden Frost is running late. She has to pick up her daughter, Clara, from day care within the next few minutes or she will get a reprimand and a lateness fee. My blurb: To others, Bryden has it all. The successful, good looking husband, a job that takes … Continue reading She Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena
Never Say Die, James Patterson
Never Say Die opening lines: Jimmy Cunniff and I are inside the shooting range at the Maidstone Gun Club a little after seven in the morning. My blurb: Jane Smith has four months to live and she is battling on a few fronts. One is against her cancer, which is being treated very aggressively. And … Continue reading Never Say Die, James Patterson
The Summer Guests, Tess Gerritsen
The Summer Guests opening lines: On the last day of his life, Purity police officer Randy Pelletier ordered a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin at the Marigold Café. My blurb: How is a car piling into strangers linked to a missing girl over 40 years later? The retirees, a group of spies, need … Continue reading The Summer Guests, Tess Gerritsen
Ottolenghi Comfort
Comfort can mean many different things to many different people, based on the path they have trodden. In Ottolenghi Comfort the recipes "take on (and take in) the culture and cuisine of the places we have moved to and we keep hold of and preserve the culture and cuisine of the places we have left". … Continue reading Ottolenghi Comfort
Confession, Michael Cordell
Confession opening lines: It was a few minutes past midnight when Cash Dixon sprayed his marble kitchen island countertop with Lysol disinfectant for a second time, despite needing to go to bed. My blurb: Finally, Thane thinks he can handle a few legal cases that will not push him into the limelight. His first major … Continue reading Confession, Michael Cordell
Simply Jamie, Jamie Oliver
In Simply Jamie, Jamie Oliver wants to inspire us to cook keeping time on our side. But in his opinion this means using tinned ingredients, such as new potatoes. This to me is not healthy, due to the other ingredients found in tinned foods. Because of this, there were many recipes I would not try. Simply … Continue reading Simply Jamie, Jamie Oliver
The Midnight Carousel, Fiza Saeed McLynn
The Midnight Carousel opening lines: On the outskirts of Paris, where factories and foundries bustle by day, there is silence at night. From the city's port to a patch of wild scrubland near the shabbiest slum, fog creeps between deserted industrial buildings. My blurb: Maisie only knows hunger, cold and uncertainty, until her Aunt rescues … Continue reading The Midnight Carousel, Fiza Saeed McLynn
The First Gentleman, James Patterson
The First Gentleman opening lines: Cole Wright is sitting in the rear seat of a black up-armored Chevy Suburban, one of three in a convoy speeding its way down Route 125 in the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire. My blurb: Cole Wright stands accused of murder and Brea Cooke is determined to see him found … Continue reading The First Gentleman, James Patterson



















