November 20 2025
Review by John Dean
A Fruitless Revenge by David L Haigh (Ingle-Haigh)
The third crime novel by David L Haigh continues to develop the author’s series set in Northumberland. In A Fruitless Revenge, which again features Northumbria detective DCI Jeff Spencer and his team, this time collaborating with Cumbria Police, David again gets the three main pillars of writing spot on.
The plot, with its dark themes, is powerful and drives the story on, beginning when the descendant of a 15th Century Border Reiver family seeks revenge for the loss of his inheritance. Murder, rape and the ill treatment of migrant farm workers are the focus of the police investigation.
The characters are well drawn and the sense of place is, as usual with David’s work, vivid in its depiction of the Northumbria landscape. An excellent addition to the series.
A Fruitless Revenge can be purchased in e-book and paperback format on Amazon.
October 28
Review
Hooked by the Past by David L Haigh (Publisher: Ingle-Haigh, available on Amazon)
It’s always good to see emerging authors improving as they learn their craft and crime writer David L Haigh is an excellent example of someone who is getting better and better with every word they type.
I enjoyed his debut novel Land Kill when it came out last year and his second in the series continues to see the author honing his skills with the result that Hooked by the Past sees his writing stepping up to the next level.
Again drawing heavily on the Northumbrian countryside, as did Land Kill, Hooked by The Past gets the three major components of writing spot on.
The sense of place is powerful and evocative, the plot twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged throughout and the characters are well drawn with some top-notch dialogue.
And like all good crime writing, a sense of darkness pervades the story, unnerving the reader as the story takes them into the deepest shadows of the human mind.
It’s good stuff and, clearly, the author has plenty more ideas to come and I look forward to the third book in the series. David’s fans will not have to wait long, though; A Fruitless Revenge will be published in the week beginning November 10 (2025), again available on Amazon.
October 2025
The book that literally no one was waiting for
The business world was shaken to its core with the publication five years ago of the searing expose of corporate big business The Diary of Ridley Pinstripe.
Indeed, it was so shaken that virtually no one bought a copy of the book, so now it has been relaunched.
Published when Ridley Pinstripe was aged 33, the book reflected the unique insight into the business world of a go-getting young corporate businessman whose go-getting nature had got up and gone.
Five years later, it has still not come back and the few people who did buy a copy of the book will not be surprised to hear that the author has not risen above his job title at the time, namely Deputy Assistant Procurement Manager (Marker Pens) in the Stock Control Department of Barking, Madd and Madd, global manufacturer of the worple sprocket (double flanged, single hinged).
The Diary of Ridley Pinstripe has received a number of testimonies:
‘Definitely a book’
Jenny Redshoes, Business Journalist, Business Journalist
‘What this man lacks in insight…’
Malcolm Frodsham, Business Correspondent Business World
‘I particularly liked the marker pens’
Alex Crayon, Editor Marker Pen Monthly
‘Ridley Pinstripe has written some words’
Vicky Mayweather, Intern, Standing Still, the magazine of the stationary industry, to whom a review copy was sent in error
‘Mr Pinstripe, my lawyer has made it very clear on numerous occasions that you have to stop contacting me. There is nothing you can do to change my mind about refusing to write a review for your book– although I would quite like it if you would return my dog, which disappeared and which I am now led to believe was kidnapped by you’
Joseph ‘Joseph’ Josephson Assistant Editor, The Sprocket
‘I have been privileged to have played a small part in supporting the rich talent that is Ridley Pinstripe. In his diary, he lifts the lid on the cut-throat world of corporate big business without fear or favour and, frankly, not much in the way of inside knowledge either. Actually, the more I come to think of it, he never listens to any of the advice that I give him. In short, it’s been a massive waste of my time’
Novelist John Dean
You can purchase the book in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon by going to https://www.amazon.co.uk/ and keying Ridley Pinstripe into the search field
October 3 2025
An honest approach
As you might expect, my crime novels receive a lot of reviews on Amazon and I find myself increasingly impressed by the way the reviewers approach the task. That is not just because they are mainly positive – they are, thank goodness – but because they tend to be honest and balanced.
I have always taken the view that everyone, even the most experienced, authors continue to learn and if a reviewer makes a valid if negative point, there may be learning in there for the author.
One of the things that strikes me is how many reviewers write about the main characters in my series as if they were old friends, impressed by their strong characteristics and disappointed when they feel let down.
As an author, I do read reviews (I know some writers don’t) but they do not influence my writing – I still pursue my own approach to the job in hand – but that does not mean I dismiss the reviewers’ comments – they make for fascinating reading and long may my readers continue to write them!
REVIEW by John Dean
OK, admission out of the way from the start, I am reviewing a book in which I feature but, since my fragment is one of 40 stories included in the anthology, I feel justified in doing so. I did not intend writing a review for the very reason that I was one of the authors invited to contribute but then I started reading and knew that I needed to think again because 274 Miles is terrific.
Forty authors, who are either Scottish or live in Scotland, were invited to send stories in by new independent publishing company Tantallon Tir, which is based in Glasgow. The word count of each story was limited to 274 words to mirror the length of the Scottish mainland from the Mull of Galloway to Cape Wrath.
There is a real art to flash (short) fiction – even with severe strictures on length, every story must have a beginning, a middle and an end and every word must be carefully selected to do a job.
There must be strong characterisation and sense of place, pace and, if space allows, a theme, plus dialogue, if required (it often isn’t in flash fiction).
Quite a challenge for the author given 274 words to play with, but from the deft observations of Allan Gillespie in the opening story Resolutions to the quirky twist at the end of A Cocktail of Death by Morgan Cry, from the richly evocative and irreverent storytelling of those writing in the Scots language, such as Colin Burnett and Dickson Telfer, to the surreal humour of M J Nicholls, and the searing depiction of a bleak life in Night of the Damned by Anjali Ramayya, all of life is here and told by writers in complete control of their craft – there isn’t a weak story in it.
There is one thing that gives the writer in me more pleasure than anything else, and I suspect it is the same for many more authors, and that is when a reviewer refers to your fictional characters as if they are real.
That happened recently when an Amazon reviewer of The Girl in the Meadow (a DCI Jack Harris book, The Book Folks, a Joffe Books company) said that Harris should sort out his troubled relationship and Matty Gallagher should resolve his issues when working in an area he does not like.
It does happen from to time and it’s a compliment to the author, of which I have had more examples over the years. For example, a student in one of my creative writing classes picked me up because DCI John Blizzard was being unfair to one of his team. She was very disappointed in me but such comments warm the author’s heart.
Oh, and in case you were wondering – the reviewer whose comments gave me the idea for this post gave the book five stars. Thanks, Kenneth!
Author Malcolm Beadle’s new novella Koki, which is reviewed further down this page, can now be acquired on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
The novella, which tells the story of a Vietnam War sniper who paints his face as a clown before he goes hunting his VietCong victims in the jungle, is available to purchase in ebook Kindle and paperback format on the book’s page on the Amazon website at www.amazon.co.uk The page contains the first reviews and ratings, which have seen the book receive five ratings, all five stars, the highest mark available.
This section includes some of my reviews on books by other writers
The value of reviews good and bad
I am very grateful to the growing number of people who have been writing such positive reviews for the DCI Jack Harris ebook boxset (nine novels for just £4 99, the Book Folks, a Joffe Books company).
I value positive reviews, of course I do, but negative comments have a role to play if they are honestly meant and make sensible points. However good the author may be and however glowing the reviews are, authors can still learn from the comments of readers, many of whom will have read many more books than writers.
I do not mind admitting that I have made changes in my writing after comments made in readers’ reviews on the likes of Amazon and Goodreads.
You can read the Amazon ones at the Jack Harris boxset page Novels 11-9 on Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/
A five-star success
The first reviews and ratings have been posted for Malcolm Beadle’s remarkable debut novella Koki and the feedback given on Amazon has seen the book receive five five star ratings, all five stars, the highest mark available.
The novella, which tells the story of a Vietnam War sniper who paints his face as a clown before he goes hunting his VietCong victims in the steamy jungles of Vietnam, is available in ebook Kindle and paperback format on the retailers’ website to be found at www.amazon.co.uk The reviews can be found on the same page.
The book has taken more than twenty years to come to fruition and reviewer Tom Benson, an author who helped Malcolm to develop his idea, said in his review: “The hero of this story is no ordinary sniper. Through superb imagery, this author helps you to absorb the jungle environment. In graphic detail, he relates a believable darker side to a war of attrition that cost thousands of lives.”
John Dean, another author who has supported Malcolm, said in his review: “There’s a real claustrophobic feel to the novella and the storytelling style is pared down, allowing the narrative to move with pace and not waste words. Mix a fast-moving plot, a compelling main character you are unlikely to forget and a powerful sense of place – the three main pillars of storytelling – as Malcolm takes the reader deep into the Vietnam forest and you have a remarkable debut novella”
Fellow crime writer Jake Howard said in his review: “A gritty, no-holds-barred story of the brutality of war, love, revenge and a few surprises thrown in along the way. Very readable and thoroughly enjoyed it. Would definitely read this author again.”
An excellent debut
Koki is a book that shows the wisdom of the old adage that ‘everything comes to he who waits’ because Malcolm Beadle’s debut novella has been twenty years in the making. Having been there when he developed the idea, I am delighted to see it finally make it into print.
The basic premise of the book is typical of the author, in that it exhibits a striking imagination at work, stretching back two decades to when Malcolm first started attending creative writing classes because he had so many ideas crowding in on his mind.
Advised to select one idea to take to completion, he focused on the story of Trent Blane, an Army sniper operating during the Vietnam War. What makes Blane different from characters in other Vietnam War books you may have read is the fact that Trent paints his face as a clown.
He operates on his own in the jungle and that’s how he likes it; Trent is a loner, a man for whom the solitary existence of the sniper appeals to something deep within him as he stealthily tracks down his unsuspecting victims.
There’s a real claustrophobic feel to the novella and the storytelling style is pared down, allowing the narrative to move with pace and not waste words.
Mix a fast-moving plot, a compelling main character you are unlikely to forget and a powerful sense of place – the three main pillars of storytelling – as Malcolm takes the reader deep into the Vietnam forest and you have a remarkable debut novella. More, please!
Batford is back!
Ian Robinson’s recently-published crime novel marked the welcome return of renegade police officer Sam Batford in his latest undercover assignment for the Metropolitan Police. In Lines Crossed (The Book Folks), an armed gang is robbing cash vans in North London, and Batford’s bosses want his help catching them. That’s not all that they want, though. Superintendent Klara Winter is looking to prove that he is corrupt. Lines Crossed is the third book in the DS Sam Batford undercover investigations series and can be purchased on Amazon in e-book, paperback and hardback formats.
Review of Lines Crossed
Sam Batford, the undercover detective sergeant who challenges the reader with his dubious behaviour and who is one of my favourite characters in crime fiction, is back.
Author Ian Robinson draws on his own police career to give the detective and the world he inhabits an authentic feel, and for me, one of the strongest elements is Batford’s voice, which works its magic as effectively as ever in the new novel Lines Crossed.
He speaks to the reader in a calm way, resisting the temptation to over-exaggerate the scenarios he experiences, preferring instead to describe them in a matter-of-fact way that has a chilling impact on the reader.
Another reason for Batford’s success as a character is the way he walks the narrow line between his job as an undercover officer and his own corrupt behaviour.
In Lines Crossed, as ever with the Batford stories, he challenges the reader who, if they are anything like me, find themselves prepared to support his dubious methods if it brings vicious criminals to justice, while at the same time feeling uneasy about his own law-breaking.
That quandary is unlikely to go away in the novels featuring Batford that I sincerely hope that Ian Robinson is writing/planning.
Book Review The Red Shoes Mystery by David Pearson
David Pearson continues to delight his many fans with his latest crime novel, in which his investigators O’Shea and Maguire face their most challenging case yet—the mysterious death of Maria Hyka.
As Maguire and her team dig deeper, they uncover connections to a shadowy underworld and, as ever, with David’s books, it is his ability to utilise the three main pillars of good storywriting that makes his novels so enjoyable.
The plot is strong and twists and turns towards the dramatic conclusion, the characters are, as ever, depicted with an acute sense of observation – these are real people – and the locations are so well described that the readers forgets where they are and step into the story.
As for the story, it delves into a world of deceit, lies and corruption that test the investigators to the limit. David Pearson at his best!
John Dean - Crime Writer 