Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

Another swimming story, and this one has left actual scars. Then I’m joined by crime novelist Ajay Chowdhury to talk about The Patriot, his first heist novel, in which a historian sets out to steal the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Tower of London and return it to India. No spoilers, as always.
In conversation with Ajay Chowdhury
Sunrise, birdsong and a five-year crossword streak: his ideal writing morning
Why he can’t write in cafés
From helping found Shazam to becoming a crime novelist
How a rejected pitch and a podcast episode led to The Patriot
Behind the scenes at the Tower of London, and the door that would have been too unbelievable to write
Why every part of a heist plan has to go wrong
AI in the writing world, from compensating authors to “AI slop”
What he’d change about publishing
The biscuit that powered the book (and whether it’s even a biscuit)
Books in this episode
The Patriot by Ajay Chowdhury
Michael by Bob Mortimer – out 19 November
Adam and Eve by Jeffrey Archer
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Also mentioned
The Waiter by Ajay Chowdhury
Eden Falls by Ajay Chowdhury
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre
Watch on Apple Podcasts
Watch the video version on Apple Podcasts
Get in touch - links:
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I’m joined by Michaela from What Michaela Reads, one of the most honest voices in the bookish space. We talk about how she built her platform from an attic room, why she accidentally became “the book drama girl”, and how a video about the Kindle price conspiracy changed everything. Then I put ten controversial bookish opinions to her, from celebrity authors and chart-buying to DNFs, free books from publishers and whether you really have to read the acknowledgements. And of course, the all-important biscuit question.
Before that, it’s week one of our book club read, The Only One Left by Riley Sager. No spoilers, just first impressions of the first quarter.
Book club: The Only One Left
We’re reading a quarter a week. Next week we’re reading up to page 193 (just before chapter 24 starts if you’re listening on audio), and we’ll chat again next Friday.
Books mentioned
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Bloom by Delilah S. Dawson
Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
The Mourning Necklace by Kate Foster
The Collective by Alison Gaylin
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Be Still My Unbeating Heart by Josh Winning
Authors mentioned
John Marrs, Charlie Donlea, M.W. Craven, Jo Callaghan
Find Michaela
What Michaela Reads on YouTube | What Michaela Reads on TikTok | What Michaela Reads on Instagram
Watch the video version
Watch on Apple Podcasts
Get in touch - links:
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wonderful Louise Candlish is back on the podcast to talk about her new book, A Knock at the Door. A three-year-old girl goes missing on a family weekend away. Eighteen years later, a young woman turns up at her parents’ door claiming to be their lost daughter. Is she really her, or is she an imposter?
Louise tells me:
why this book feels different in tone from her last few
its original working title
how a young intern helped her make the Telegram messages sound authentic
why she has called this one “imposter noir”
We also talk about:
her dream writing location, a silent penthouse suite overlooking a royal park
her nightmare one, a noisy train, and what happened when her husband challenged a fellow passenger on the Stansted Express
twists and blurbs, and why publishers shouldn’t promise a twist
the book Louise thinks has the best twist ever
why e-readers turned her into a speed reader
my 15 holiday books and their run-in with Athens customs
the brownie that powered the words
Before that, I review three books:
What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers. I finished it in a day and it made me feel hopeful about the human race. My non-fiction Christmas present pick.
The Castle by Jon Ronson. I really enjoyed it, with a couple of stodgy bits.
The Players Club by Rachel Mills. Lots of people are raving about this one, but it didn’t quite work for me.
You’ll also hear about a retired couple and some spontaneous synchronised swimming.
Books mentioned
A Knock at the Door by Louise Candlish
What We Ask Google by Simon Rogers
The Castle by Jon Ronson
The Players Club by Rachel Mills
Eyes on You by Adele Parks
Fallen Women by Tammy Cohen (out February 2027)
The Other Passenger by Louise Candlish
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Watch the episode
Quick Book Reviews on Apple Podcasts (video)
Get in touch - links:
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve found out something very scary about the Waterstones points system and I have to tell you straight away. Booksellers have reported customers with £300, £900, even over £1,000 worth of points on their cards. Before you start saving yours, there’s a catch in the terms and conditions you need to know about. If you have that many points and can’t think what to buy, I’m putting my hand up to help.
Then it’s the final round-up of our first Book Club read, The One You Least Suspect by Brian McGilloway. I found the first half hard going, not because of the writing but because of what the main character goes through. Then something clicked. I’ll tell you my score and whether I’d read more of Brian’s books. No spoilers.
And the Book Club is carrying on. I share my rules for choosing each month’s book and announce the pick for November, The Only One Left by Riley Sager, a gothic crime thriller BookTube has been raving about. If you want something cosy and uplifting, this probably isn’t for you. If you’re twisted and troubled like me, it’s perfect.
November Book Club reading schedule: The Only One Left by Riley Sager
I’ve given chapters as well as page numbers, so it works for paperback, ebook and audiobook.
Week 1: up to page 99, just before Chapter 11 starts
Week 2: up to page 193, just before Chapter 24 starts
Week 3: up to page 285, just before Chapter 34 starts
Week 4: finish the book
Books mentioned
The One You Least Suspect by Brian McGilloway
The Only One Left by Riley Sager
Watch the episode
Quick Book Reviews on Apple Podcasts (video)
Get in touch - links:
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello my fellow bookworms! This week I’m delighted to welcome back the wonderful Louise Penny to talk about her latest Three Pines mystery, Miss Wolcott’s Ghost. Plus I review The Strangers by Naomi Alderman, share another swimming pool story (earplugs, I’m sorry), and reveal the book club picks for the next four months.
In conversation with Louise Penny
Miss Wolcott’s Ghost is book 21 in the Chief Inspector Gamache series, but you can absolutely start here. Louise tells me where the name Three Pines really came from, how her friends found Lost Nation and its forgotten cemetery deep in the Quebec woods, and why this is very much not cosy crime. We talk about courage and cowardice, book covers, dreams, her co-written thriller The Last Mandarin, what she’s reading now, and of course, the biscuit (or butter tart) that powered the writing. No spoilers, as always.
Miss Wolcott’s Ghost by Louise Penny
Book review
The Strangers by Naomi Alderman. Mysterious creatures called mimmoths appear across the world, while the author navigates grief after losing her mother. I loved the dystopian element, but I’m honestly not sure how I felt about the whole. Have you read it? I’d love to know what you think.
Book club: November to February
November: The Only One Left by Riley Sager
December: Unsolved by Heather Critchlow
January: Split Second by R.C. Bridgestock, published by Orenda Books
February: A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford, out in paperback in time for February
As before, we’ll read a quarter of the book each week.
Also mentioned
The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Melissa Fung
The Finest Hotel in Kabul by Lyse Doucet
A Fish Caught in Time by Samantha Weinberg
Watch the video
Watch on Apple Podcasts
Get in touch - links:
Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | quickbookreviews@outlook.com
Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.