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Rants and Funnies and...Other Stuff

FictionFan’s Book Reviews

Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy your visit. I’m a Scottish book blogger with fairly eclectic tastes, and I’ve been blogging about books since 2013. You’ll find indexes to my reviews in the menu at the top of the page. Alternatively, you can find a review by author, genre or title using the Find A Review drop-down box on the right, click on … Continue reading FictionFan’s Book Reviews

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5 Stars, Francis Dick, Thriller, Whip Hand

Review: Whip Hand by Dick Francis | Thriller

Sid Halley’s career as a champion jockey came to an abrupt halt when an accident caused him to lose one of his hands, and somewhere along the way he also lost his marriage. Now equipped with an artificial hand and his intimate insider knowledge of the world of horse-racing, he’s carving out a new career as a private detective. He is approached by Rosemary Casper, wife of a top trainer, who believes someone may be nobbling her husband’s best horses… Continue reading Review: Whip Hand by Dick Francis | Thriller

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Filing alphabetically

Filing alphabetically…

It’s the book-lover’s biggest problem – how to file the ever-growing pile of books jostling for pole position on our shelves. Some file by genre, some by author, and some even file by the colour of the spine. But I suspect every system shares a common feature – that is, filing alphabetically. So here’s my attempt to bring some order to my virtual bookshelf, starting conventionally with A… Continue reading Filing alphabetically…

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5 Stars, Banville John, Literary Fiction, Untouchable The

Review: The Untouchable by John Banville | Literary Fiction

Victor Maskell has just been outed as a spy. His carefully nurtured reputation as an art historian, his knighthood, his position in the top ranks of British society – all swept away. He reminisces about his life, drifting back to the heady days of the 1930s, when a small group of brilliant scholars were swept up in the roiling politics of Europe, coming to believe that only communist Russia stood as a bulwark against fascism. Or maybe they just enjoyed the excitement of transgression… Continue reading Review: The Untouchable by John Banville | Literary Fiction

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4 Stars, Dressed for Death, Leon Donna, Other Crime Fiction

Review: Dressed for Death (Commissario Brunetti 3) by Donna Leon | Crime Fiction

Venice is sweltering in the summer heat. Commissario Brunetti is looking forward to a trip to the mountains with his family, but his hopes are dashed when a body is found in a field where the local sex workers ply their trade The corpse is a man dressed in women’s clothing and make-up, so the obvious inference is that he was a transvestite prostitute. But Brunetti knows that sometimes the obvious answer is not the right one… Continue reading Review: Dressed for Death (Commissario Brunetti 3) by Donna Leon | Crime Fiction

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4 Stars, 5 Stars, A Fortunate Man, Classics, Emanuel or Children of the Soil, Literary Fiction, Pontoppidan Henrik

Review-Along! Henrik Pontoppidan – A Fortunate Man and Emanuel, or Children of the Soil | Danish Classics

A Fortunate Man tells the story of Per, an aspiring engineer: his attempts to bring modernisation to a backward Denmark, his social climbing, and his battle with his faith, torn between his Lutheran upbringing and the new Folk Church movement.
Emanuel depicts the earlier revivalist movement and its effects on a newly-qualified Lutheran pastor, drawn to the more egalitarian style of the meeting house.
Two novels, between them showing the social and cultural changes in Denmark in latter half of the 19th century. Continue reading Review-Along! Henrik Pontoppidan – A Fortunate Man and Emanuel, or Children of the Soil | Danish Classics

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5 Stars, A Demon in My View, British Crime Fiction, Rendell Ruth

Review: A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell | Psychological Thriller

Arthur Johnson lives in the top-floor flat at 142, Trinity Road. He never misses a day at work and keeps his flat as neat as a new pin, just as his Auntie Gracie would have expected. But now a new tenant has taken the flat below – a man coincidentally named Anthony Johnson. This second Mr Johnson, it transpires, is a PhD candidate, researching his thesis on psychopaths. Which is another coincidence, since Mr Johnson – the first Mr Johnson – just happens to be a psychopath… Continue reading Review: A Demon in My View by Ruth Rendell | Psychological Thriller

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5 Stars, Classics, Dark Philosophers The, Gwyn, Literary Fiction, Thomas

Review: The Dark Philosophers by Gwyn Thomas | Welsh Classic

For Reading Wales 2026 comes this classic collection of three Welsh novellas, dark, comic, and ultimately disturbing. Set in the years between the wars, they explore poverty, inequality, and the early working‑class socialism that forged a new vocabulary of resistance. Thomas gives voice to an array of working‑class characters, often through a communal “we”, capturing both the bleakness of their circumstances and the solidarity that helped them endure. Continue reading Review: The Dark Philosophers by Gwyn Thomas | Welsh Classic

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5 Stars, British Crime Fiction, Lorac ECR, Shroud of Darkness

Review: Shroud of Darkness (Inspector Macdonald 40) by ECR Lorac | Vintage Crime

A dense London fog brings the city to a standstill as a train from Devon crawls toward Paddington. In one carriage, five strangers share the slow, uneasy journey: a young woman returning from holiday, a man growing increasingly tense, another woman absorbed in her writing, and two men who join the train at Reading. When the train finally reaches the station, events take a disturbing turn, drawing Inspector Macdonald into a case shaped by fear, confusion, and the lingering shadows of the recent war. Continue reading Review: Shroud of Darkness (Inspector Macdonald 40) by ECR Lorac | Vintage Crime

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5 Stars, Cleary Jon, High Road to China, Thriller

Review: High Road to China by Jon Cleary | Adventure Thriller

When former fighter pilot Bede O’Malley returns to civilian life after the First World War, he finds himself bored, broke, and missing the thrill of the skies. Then Eve Tozer bursts into his life with an outrageous proposal: fly from England to China in a trio of fragile biplanes to save her kidnapped father. With danger on the ground and dogfights in the air, their journey becomes a high‑stakes race across continents… Continue reading Review: High Road to China by Jon Cleary | Adventure Thriller

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5 Stars, Biography & Memoirs, Dench Judi, Literary & Film Criticism, Non-fiction, O'Hea Brendan, Shakespeare The Man Who Pays the Rent

Review: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea | Memoir

In this conversational memoir, Judi Dench explores the Shakespeare roles she’s played across her long career, reflecting on what each taught her about character, language, and performance. With Brendan O’Hea prompting memories and questions, she revisits productions, directors, and choices that shaped her understanding of the plays. The result is a thoughtful, engaging and often hilarious look at Shakespeare from an actor’s point of view. Continue reading Review: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea | Memoir

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2010 Odyssey Two, Chinese Gold Murders The, Clarke Arthur C, Fremlin Celia, Hours Before Dawn The, MacDonald Philip, Maigret and the Informer, Noose The, Simenon Georges, van Gulik Robert

Minis – February 2026

Five lightning reviews: The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin, 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke, The Noose by Philip MacDonald, Maigret and the Informer by Georges Simenon, and The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert van Gulik. Continue reading Minis – February 2026

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5 Stars, British Crime Fiction, How to Kill a Crime Writer, Humour, Lotz Sarah

Review: How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz | Crime Fiction

After her mother’s death, Niamh Morrissey hides away in the cottage she’s inherited, trying to manage her grief and anxiety in solitude. But with the inquest looming, she begins to question the official story of an accidental fall. Then Leah Overton — the fictional detective her mother created — turns up in the cottage, determined to investigate. As Niamh follows Leah’s lead, she’s drawn into village secrets, old tensions, and the unanswered questions surrounding her mother’s final days… Continue reading Review: How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah Lotz | Crime Fiction

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4 Stars, Historical Fiction, McGuire Ian, White River Crossing

Review: White River Crossing by Ian McGuire | Historical Fiction

A fur trader arrives at an outpost of the Hudson Bay Company, and shows the Chief Factor, Magnus Norton, a lump of gold. There is plenty more, he says, at a place called Ox Lake, many miles further north. Seduced by visions of returning to England a wealthy man, Norton decides to send a small expedition, under the leadership of his right-hand man, John Shaw, to check if there is truth to the story, and if so, to bring back as much gold as they can… Continue reading Review: White River Crossing by Ian McGuire | Historical Fiction

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3 Stars, A Bad Bad Place, British Crime Fiction, Crawford Frances

Review: A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford | Scottish Crime Fiction

Twelve‑year‑old Janey is out walking her dog, Sid Vicious, along the old disused railway when Sid discovers the brutally murdered body of a young woman. In the aftermath, Janey finds herself overwhelmed by police questions, local gossip, and the intimidating presence of the victim’s father, Billy Wilson. Her Nana, Maggie, worries about Janey’s state of mind — and about the possibility that someone out there wants to keep her quiet… Continue reading Review: A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford | Scottish Crime Fiction

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