I was particularly delighted to receive my copy of The House on Hunter Street from David Ebsworth because I’d seen an early draft of the novel and we’d discussed aspects of the women’s suffrage movement. While I don’t believe there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to tell the history, it is more complex than many people realise and there’s often a tendency to cling to simplistic interpretations. For example, the idea that the suffragettes won the vote for women is a very popular way of presenting the campaign, but it’s very far from telling the full story or being the only narrative that deserves to be heard.     The House on Hunter Street brings alive one of those perhaps lesser-known narratives of the suffrage movement by focussing on the perspective of a working-class woman, Cari Maddox, and linking the women’s campaign with the struggles of the labour movement. Cari’s story is told against a backdrop of the 1911 dockers’ strikes in Liverpool, which in its turn brings in racia...

Between 1839 and 1843, the Rebecca rioters of west Wales rode out at night to tear down toll gates and make their protest against the high tolls charged on the roads by the businessmen and investors who ran the Turnpike Trusts. The rioters blacked their faces and wore women’s dresses, and they were armed with guns and other weapons. Their visits were sometimes announced in advance by threatening letters signed by “Becca”. Some rioters were arrested and transported, and the unrest affected many lives. The history makes for a powerful setting for None So Blind . As Alis Hawkins explains in a historical note at the end of the novel, she has taken the story of the Rebeccas a little further by imagining that they have branched out into being a sort of moral vigilante group. It’s an idea that works really well, and even has an interesting feminist twist as at least one man gets visited for taking advantage of his female servants.  The public turmoil is matched by barrister Harry Prob...

The Contraband Killings : A Dan Foster Mystery is on a blog tour this week (5-11 December 2022). The tour will feature unique extracts, reviews and guest blogs. The schedule is below, and the links will go live as the blogs are published. Anglesey 1799: Bow Street Runner Dan Foster is sent to fetch smuggler Watcyn Jones from prison on Anglesey to stand trial for murder at the Old Bailey in London. When the prison escort is ambushed and Watcyn Jones escapes, a straightforward prison transfer turns into a desperate manhunt.   As Jones’s enemies start to die, the chase becomes more urgent than ever – and Dan’s chances of getting off the island alive begin to look far from promising. Out now at Amazon ( Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com ).     Blog Tour Schedule Monday 5 December 2022 Jera's Jamboree  - Review.   Northernreader The Book Decoder - Review Tuesday 6 December 2022 Kathryn Books - Review Sharon Beyond the Books - Review Celticlady's Reviews  Wednes...