Category Archives: Review

Book Review: A G MacDonell ~ England, their England (1933)

Posted on October 10, 2026 by odeboyz

This is a re-read. I was reminded of its excellence in a review of a cricket match in the Guardian. Could it possibly be as good as I remembered? Getting it was easy-peasy. ABEbooks the on-line 2nd hand bookshop got … Continue reading →

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Finn McRedmond reviews Vespers Restaurant, London

Posted on September 12, 2026 by odeboyz

“I will start with the euphemistically named ‘pizzette’ – it topped with Straciartella (tick) and mortadella (tick) and then? Mostarda. That is pineapple jam, between you and me. And I can tell you this: jam belongs on rice pudding, which … Continue reading →

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An Irishman eats potatoes

Posted on June 17, 2026 by odeboyz

“…theirs are so strikingly good: fire-smoked and bathed in butter, sweet and soft beneath their crunchy skins, their flesh perfectly waxed and salty. To eat one is to immediately know, deep in your bog-brained heart, that you will soon be … Continue reading →

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Grace Dent reviews Oudh 1722 London SE1

Posted on June 13, 2026 by odeboyz

“Oudh 1722’s a la carte menu opens with a lamb shorba, a traditional Awadhi welcome broth poured over finely chopped lamb tartare. Then spherical servings of gol guppa (you might know them by another moniker, pani puri)…..” Only Londoners love … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Andrew Cartmel ~ The Vinyl Detective: written in dead wax (2016)

Posted on March 18, 2026 by odeboyz

Two things need to be noted up front. (1) I’m a very longstanding jazz fan and (2) I adore quirky novels, which destroy customary formula. There isn’t a maverick Detective Inspector anywhere in this novel. In fact, there are no … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Lee Child ~ The Enemy (2004)

Posted on February 25, 2026 by odeboyz

After reading a few Reacher novels they begin to feel like a warm blanket. Predictable and a lovely interlude in life’s rich pageant. Reacher is a ‘righteous’ psychopath smashing people into pulp. Killing people in ever more ingenious ways. Wandering … Continue reading →

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Victims of Trip Advisor strike back

Posted on February 7, 2026 by odeboyz
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Book Review: Douglas Adams ~ The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

Posted on February 4, 2026 by odeboyz

For a comedic SciFi novel to become a best-seller is unprecedented. Douglas Adams was very, very lucky that he got decisive support from BBC Radio4. They produced 15-minute programmes, which became a cult. Adams then wrote a series of books … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Martin Cruz Smith ~ Hotel Ukraine (2025)

Posted on October 29, 2025 by odeboyz

Authors who create wonderful characters own a gold mine.1 Killing a ‘Golden Goose’ is very expensive. Lee Child outsourced the Reacher series to his brother. Ian Ranken’s Rebus recently was imprisoned for murder and then solved a murder and lives … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Ian Rankin ~ Midnight and Blue (2024)

Posted on July 30, 2025 by odeboyz

Q) What does a brilliant detective do after being sentenced to life imprisonment? A) Solve ultra difficult murders. Rebus got a life sentence for murdering his criminal nemesis ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty. It was accidental but nonetheless he was found guilty … Continue reading →

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