Monty's Book Reviews

      The Interest : How The British Establishment Resisted the Abolition of Slavery By Michael Taylor Publisher's Description For two hundred years, the abolition of slavery in Britain has been a cause for self-congratulation – but no longer. In 1807, Parliament outlawed the slave trade in the British Empire, but for the next quarter of a century, despite heroic and bloody rebellions, more than 700,000 people in the British colonies remained in slavery. And when a renewed abolitionist campaign was mounted, making slave ownership the defining political and moral issue of the day, emancipation was fiercely resisted by the powerful ‘West India Interest’. Supported by nearly every leading figure of the British establishment – including Canning, Peel and Gladstone, The Times and Spectator – the Interest ensured that slavery survived until 1833 and that when abolition came...

    Rating 5 Stars Publisher's Description The brand-new domestic thriller from the #1 bestselling author of Obsession A new couple moves in next door. And nothing will ever be the same again… I watched you move in next door and thought we might be friends. I saw you watching from the window – and knew I’d have to keep you well away from my husband. I started to trust you. Confide in you. I started to mistrust you. Suspect you. I was confused when I blacked out after an evening at your place. Was I really that drunk? I came up with a plan. A plan to make you both pay . . . Sexy and sinister – this book will keep you up all night . . . ‘The tension builds and builds and then… BAM! Dark, gripping, brutal . I loved every minute’ Jackie Kabler ‘ As more-ish as a box of chocolates . I kept trying to...

Dead Air Michael Bradley  4 Stars Publisher's Description Three can keep a secret, but only if two are dead. No one knows that better than Kaitlyn Ashe, who has been running from a childhood secret her whole life. Until now. Crowned the top-rated radio DJ in Philadelphia, she is finally ready to settle down with her fiancé and new friends who know nothing about her past. When a sudden flood of anonymous letters threatens her seemingly charmed life, she realizes that someone out there knows. But who? As the threatening letters escalate, Kaitlyn’s life spirals toward a reunion in the one place she’d hoped to never visit again: the Shallows. Isn’t her secret buried with the dead? From the Philadelphia skyline to the rural suburbs of New Jersey, Dead Air weaves a suspenseful tale of past misdeeds and present malice as Kaitlyn plays a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a mysterious killer who will stop at nothing ...

  Napoleon's Run Jonathan Spencer Rating 4 Stars Publisher's Description One man against an armada London, 1798. Late one night, a junior naval officer at the Admiralty intercepts a coded despatch, marked with blood: Napoleon Bonaparte is about to launch the largest invasion fleet in history. Target: unknown. England is vulnerable, bereft of allies, and the Sea Lords fear a direct assault on Britain. Admiralty Intelligence sounds the alarm and prepares to unleash Nelson and the Mediterranean squadron.  But before they can, they need vital information. They need a special officer to infiltrate by land or by sea to uncover the destination of Napoleon’s armada – a man who never stops.  Marine Lt William John Hazzard.  But will he agree to help them?  Betrayed by the Admiralty at the African Cape three years earlier, Hazzard has vowed never to trust them again. Bitter memories poisoned his r...

  Radio Broadcasting Gordon Bathgate Rating 4 Stars Publisher's Description 2020 marks the centenary of Marconi’s experimental transmissions and this book seeks to commemorate this anniversary. The book examines the history of radio and traces its development from theories advanced by James Clerk Maxwell and Heinrich Hertz to the first practical demonstrations by Guglielmo Marconi. It looks back to the pioneering broadcasts of the BBC, examines the development of broadcast networks in North America and around the world. It spotlights radio's role in the Second World War. The book also features the radio programmes and radio personalities that made a considerable impact on the listeners during the ‘Golden Era’. It also examines how radio, faced by competition from its electronic progenitor – television, adapted and survived. Indeed radio has continued to thrive despite increased competition from mobile p...

  Jumbo: The Most Famous Elephant Who Ever Lived Author: Alexandra Stewart Illustrator: Emily Sutton Rating 5 Stars Hardcover 48 Pages Publisher's Description  Our story begins in 1860, in the mountainous landscapes of East Africa, where a baby elephant struggles to his feet and takes his first shaky steps … This is the incredible true story of Jumbo, an elephant superstar that captivated the world. Follow Jumbo’s amazing journey as he travels across land and sea, from Africa to Europe and then on to North America. See him delight visitors with elephant rides at London Zoo and be amazed by his spectacular stint in P.T. Barnum’s circus – known as ‘the greatest show on Earth’. Finally, discover how Jumbo’s extraordinary life sparked widespread fascination in elephant behaviour and transformed our understanding and treatment of these magnificent creatures. With beautiful illustrations by Emily Sutton and an ...

          Rating 4 Stars Publisher's Description In "A Death in Vegas," the president of a company that specializes in beneficial bugs for organic gardeners discovers a young woman dead in his Las Vegas hotel suite. She had worked as a sexy lady bug at his convention booth - and he had nothing to do with her death. While that’s being investigated, the FBI raids his booth on a money-laundering scam, which he knows nothing about either. Soon, the coroner doesn’t have good news. The police and FBI are against him - and his wife cannot be found. He flees to find answers and his wife. “With his tongue planted firmly in cheek, Christopher Meeks spins a charming and surprisingly sexy tale of murder, betrayal, and the importance of beneficial insects.” (Mark Haskell Smith, author of "Baked" and "Raw: A Love Story") “I've never, ever wanted to go to Vegas. I don't care if what happens there, stays there. But Christopher Meeks makes ...

  Voices From The Past WB Marsh Rating 5 Stars Pages: 720 Published: 08 Oct 2020  Publisher: Icon Books Publisher's Description In a treasure trove for history buffs, W.B. Marsh fleshes out the context behind famous quotations associated with each day of the year, sending us back and forth in history from the time of the Ancient Egyptians to the world we live in today. ‘You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war.’ (25 April 1898) Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst urges war artist Frederick Remington to stay in Cuba while Hearst publishes lurid tales of an imaginary conflict. ‘I am tasting the stars!’ (4 August 1693) The monk Dom Pérignon tests the result of his new techniques in the making of sparkling wine, and champagne is born. ‘From the sublime to the ridiculous is only a step.’ (18 October 1812) Napoleon’s all-conquering Grande Armée begins its slow and ignominious retreat from Moscow. Review I always find books of quotes very dry and can...

     Rating 3 Stars (Audio) & 4 Stars (Book) Publisher's Description It took fourteen years to construct a safe world for her and her son—and only one night for her ex to unravel it. Celebrated Seattle restaurateur Callie James is more than a little thrown when her ex-husband, French investigative reporter Daniel Odile-Grand, shows up after fourteen years asking for her help.  Even more disturbing: as she throws him out, Daniel is deliberately hit by a car, hurled through the front window of her restaurant—broken, bloody and unconscious. He flees from the hospital and breaks into Callie’s apartment, where he passes out. Reluctantly, Callie hides him.  When she gets back to her restaurant, two assassins walk in, insisting that she find Daniel for them by tonight or pay the consequences.  It’s Callie’s nightmare. And the worst is yet to come as she and her unlikely, incompatible ally...

  The Killings at Kingfisher Hill Sophie Hannah 4 Stars Publisher's Description The world’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot—legendary star of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile—returns to solve a fiendish new mystery. Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate, where Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. But there is a strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there.   The coach is forced to stop when a distressed woman demands to get off, insisting that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. Although the rest of the journey passes without anyone being harmed, Poirot’s curiosity is aroused, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered with a macabre ...

  Why Do We Eat Turkey On Thanksgiving Nicholas Scarpino 4 Stars Publisher's Description Have you ever wondered why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving? The answer is not so simple! Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Dickens, and many others helped make turkey the star of Thanksgiving dinner. Let Hurkey the Turkey be your guide as you explore the history behind one of our country's first holidays. This book is fun for the whole family and features illustrations by 86-year-old Marlene Turner, creator of Hurkey the Turkey.  Review  With the words of the book in rhyme and accompanied by delightful illustrations this would make a great present for kids and families whether they've ever wondered about turkey and thanksgiving or not. If you want an indepth investigation into Thanksgiving and it's poultry connections then this probably isn't the book for you but as an interesting tale to delight the children it hits the mark I'm not American, neither ...

An Archer's Crusade Lord Edward's Archer Book #3 4 Stars Pages: 203 Published: 2 Nov 2020 Publisher:  Lume Books Publisher's Blurb The battle of Evesham is over, and Gerald War Bow is now the owner of a manor. But a leader of archers cannot rest for long. Lord Edward is on a mission to hunt down the remaining Simon de Montfort supporters and snuff out the last of the rebellions. When the rebel leaders prove harder to eliminate than the rest of the mob, Lord Edward is helped in his quest by Pope Adrian V. In thanks, he agrees to join the Crusades with King Louis IX of France. The so-called holy war is a complex and punishing pursuit, and Lord Edward needs help in defeating the Mamluks. He calls upon his trusted comrade Gerald to lead a crusade of his own, to enlist the aid of Abaqa Khan, a Mongol leader and much needed ally. With miles of Muslim-controlled land to cross, can Gerald make the journey unscathed, and will his efforts help to turn the war? Review Gerald War Bow i...