#WOYBS
Dear friends. Welcome to another month's reading. It's a varied selection with a 5 star short story collection, a couple of mystery/thrillers, and a heart warming tale of bereaved women who find friendship.
Non-fiction features a book on the notorious Victorian baby killer, Amelia Dyer, and how to reinvigorate your body through menopause with delicious and time-saving recipes.
All the books were received as free digital advance copies from NetGalley and the publishers, in return for an honest review.
The News from Dublin by Colm Tóibín, 5 out of 5 stars
The short story trope normally delivers a punchy ending of some sort. A resolution, a decision, a breakthrough. Usually it intends to surprise us. It's an ending created for dramatic effect.
Tóibín's collection The News from Dublin doesn't follow the usual formula.
He delivers endings which are thoughtful and considered. There isn't always a cataclysmic resolution. The protagonists in his short stories - parents of the boy sent home in disgrace from boarding school, the priest who has been released from prison and others - act as normal people would. There's no grandstanding. This makes his stories more meaningful.
The short story which bears the name of the collection is particularly poignant. Reuniting us with characters from one of Tóibín's previous novels, Maurice goes to Dublin to meet the health minister on behalf of his sick younger brother Stephen. The story becomes a vivid evocation of Ireland's troubled past and Eamon de Valera's visit to Enniscorthy.
Publication date: 26 March
The Truth about Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent - 5 out of 5 stars
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery and Thrillers
I absolutely loved Liz Nugent's previous novel, Strange Sally Diamond, so I was thrilled to get my hands on her new book. It has a dark and tragic central plot that pulls you in and grips you tightly until the very end. Told by various protagonists, but in a seamless and natural way, the story unfolds over the decades with lives torn apart.
I won't reveal much about the plot because to do so would present spoilers. But it'll be another best seller for Liz Nugent, and would make a brilliant film.
How to Get Away with Murder by Rebecca Philipson, 4 out of 5 stars
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery and Thrillers
DI Samantha Hansen, newly returned to work after suffering PTSD, has to track down the unknown author of a book - How to Get Away with Murder - after it reveals similarities with a murder which had not been made public.
For much of the book you're silently cheering the struggling Sam on, and then, in the last part of the book, she completely shifts gears and starts to administer justice and retribution in her own way.
Aside from the thrilling and intriguing ending, there are a lot of stats and info on serial killers which adds to the credibility of the story.
A hot book for 2026!
The Family Friend by Claire Douglas (4 out of 5 stars)
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery and Thrillers
Kept me up beyond my bedtime. Had to read to the finish!
A beautifully constructed story with fully realised characters and the beautiful Villa Oiseau at the centre.
When Imogen is told she’s inherited a country house near Bath, she thinks it must be a mistake. She last saw its owner, reclusive artist Dorothea Roe, sixteen years ago, during a tragic summer which changed her life for ever.
Now, with partner Josh in tow, it’s a chance for a fresh start.
But after discovering an old box with her name on it in Dorothea’s abandoned study, Imogen starts to believe the woman was trying to send her a secret message.
The red herrings were there but it was hard to guess the perpetrator(s), the mark of an extremely good yarn.
Secrets Between Friends by Sheila O' Flanaghan (4 out of 5 stars)
I've always enjoyed Irish writer Sheila O'Flanagan's books. She writes good, strong, contemporary stories with women at the core.
In Secrets Between Friends, three women who meet by chance discover they're all widows. They're independent, smart women who develop a friendship that is a joy to behold.
I loved the fact the friendships spanned the generations. 67 year old Sybil as a heroine to me with her glamour and savviness, and for the fact she had a corporate career. All too often books feature women who work in cute cafes, PR or nursing. Those who handle the often brutal environment of corporate life are side lined by female writers. but not O'Flanagan, who came from the finance sector.
She isn't sugar coating widowhood. She confronts some realities of life including misogyny and difficult family relationships. A glorious, uplifting read with edge.
Secrets Between Friends is published on 26 March.
NON-FICTION
MENOLicious by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry, 4 out of 5 stars
MENOLicious is a great book for anyone wanting a healthier and more energising diet. It's not just for mid life women going through perimenopause. Mariella Frostrup, broadcaster and co-author, explained that her son had taken the book with him to university and many of the recipes were a big hit. His friends thought that "MEN-olicious" was aimed at them!
Belles Berry, a Cordon Bleu trained chef and daughter of Mary Berry, has imbued the recipes with the flavours and contrasts that you rarely get in the numerous recipe books written by influencers.
Some of the recipes are very easy to whip up, and Belles proved it at the Good Housekeeping Institute where I saw her create some of the recipes.
The Baby Farm Murderer by Stephen Jakobi (3.5 out of 5 stars)
The term “Baby Farming” has long disappeared but in the 19th century it was a relatively well known practice. Women who didn’t want to keep a baby, usually those with money, could find another woman to take the child. A bit like adoption, but not through today’s official channels.
Not all the women who agreed to “adopt” actually brought up the children. Some turned out to be serial killers.
The subject of this book, Amelia Dyer, pictured, was thought at the time to have murdered up to 400 babies. Stephen Jakobi has revised this to 50, but nonetheless, it makes Dyer one of the most notorious murderers in history.
He quotes extensively from the trial, which included several medical experts. Dyer had tried to use a defence of insanity.
I was occasionally frustrated with not having a summary of Dyer's crimes, the police investigation and the trial. It's all there, but you have to piece it together. Having said that, the book provides a lot of valuable information about women's role in society at this time, abortion and children's rights. Jakobi provides a lot of contextual background on the legislation at the time. It was changed following Dyer's conviction and execution.
I hope you found something that appealed in this month's selection. I'd love to know what you've recently enjoyed reading. Do tell in the comments.
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