Broadmore Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum - Mark Stevens

Some good stories about the asylum, covering many different aspects including female prisoners, escapees, and some of the real loonys. Not a bad read. I really liked the lady who tried to poinson loads of people in Brighton by sneaking poison chocolates into the local sweet shop.

Could have made a better job of providing a feel for life inside the place though.

2/5

Fariy Tales Every Child Should Know - Hamilton Wright

Reading it to my kids. Bit weird that they feel the need to call Goldilocks "Silverlocks".

2/5

The Pawn - Steven James

Very good american serial killer book with a decent lead character. All set in the Blue Ridge mountains (iirc) whcih created a really good atmosphere to the book. Strangely the second book in a row to have a character called the Father. As usual with these types of stories the cop has a back story of death and misery, but this one is quite well played out, bringing in his step daughter who becomes (predictably) involved in the case

4/5

The Penal Colony - Richard Herley

Some fella gets wrongly accused of murder and ends up on a penal colony off the coast of Devon. Has to learn how to survive in the colony's waring communities. Not a bad book but I thought the author chickened out on some of the set piece fight/battle scenes. No Escape from New York though. Defo needed for death and gore.

3/5