Book Reviews
Most of the reviews on this website are written by members of our Oundle Crime book group, and if you enjoy reading crime fiction and thrillers and want to know more about Oundle Crime, click here. Having said that, we’d love to feature reviews of other literary genres, so if you’d like to write something about a book you’ve enjoyed, please send your review to us at join@friendsofoundlelibrary.org.uk
Our book reviews are rated from 1 to 5 Stars, where 5 Stars is outstanding. If you want to find out more about our scoring system, just scroll down to the bottom of this page. Below are our most recent reviews and if you click through to one you’ll be able to find our 6-month archive. Finally, if you decide to buy a book linked to our website, we may earn commission from Bookshop,org – an online retailer that supports independent bookshops.
12 October 2025
Herc by Phoenicia Rogerson
This modern telling of the story of Hercules, in the words of the people around him, breathes fresh life into the myths we might think we know. Somehow, Phoenicia Rogerson has managed to draw all the tales together into a coherent narrative. 4 Stars.
5 October 2025
Oundle Crime recommends
This is Part Two of our September recommendations. The list includes books set in France, America and Slovenia, as well as UK-based mysteries set on the Isles of Scilly and St. Kilda, as well as at Bletchley Park.
28 September 2025
Oundle Crime recommends …
The theme in September was to report back on at least one book set overseas, maybe a place or country that we knew little about, and any other book we’d enjoyed. With 14 recommendations we’ve split our blog into two parts. This is Part One.
21 September 2025
John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs by Ian Leslie
Examining the genius of John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters, while looking at what was happening in their lives when they wrote the songs. It’s this background and context that makes this so interesting and readable. 5 Stars.
14 September 2025
Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
A standalone psychological thriller that was longlisted for the 2025 CWA Twisted Dagger Award. It’s a vivid and tense story, which earned 4 Stars from our reviewer.
7 September 2025
A Talent for Murder by Peter Swanson
Book 3 of the Henry Kimball series. It’s a clever and unusual plot, with lots of red herrings and an unexpected killing about halfway through that left everyone reeling! 4 Stars.
31 August 2025
Oundle Crime recommends
Eight recommendations from Oundle Crime’s reading list in August. A mix of cosy crime, espionage and whodunnits, many of them brand new novels which have recently arrived at Oundle Library.
23 August 2025
Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben
Harlan Coben is back on top form with this, his latest book. It’s a very loose follow-on from his 2015 novel, Fool me Once, and picks up with the character Sami Kierce 20-years later. A terrific story. 4 Stars.
17 August 2025
When Shadows Fall by Neil Lancaster
Another cracking story in the DS Max Craigie series. Someone is killing lone women climbers in the Highlands of Scotland and, needless to say, nothing is as straightforward as it seems. 4 Stars.
10 August 2025
Less by Patrick Grant
A heartfelt plea to value quality a bit more and to seek it out when we buy things – whether that’s shoes, toys and t-shirts, or saucepans and kitchen knives. Full of facts to back up the argument, it’s thought-provoking and surprisingly easy to read. 5 Stars.
What’s in a Star?
Deciding why you like an author or have enjoyed a book is, of course, entirely subjective, and everyone who comes along to meetings of Oundle Crime has different tastes. So how do we try to get some consistency in our Star ratings? Well, after some discussion, we’ve come up with the following:
- 5 Stars: Outstanding and unforgettable. A book you can’t wait to tell others about.
- 4 Stars: A good book with an interesting, layered story. Will still remember after a month.
- 3 Stars: Not good or bad, just an average story and characters. You enjoyed reading it, but might not remember it after a month.
- 2 Stars: Poorly written, superficial and probably a bit of a yawn. Forgettable.
- 1 Star: Rubbish through and through. A book you wish you hadn’t read and don’t want to remember!
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