P.D.R. Lindsay's Blog, page 11

Review of Anne Perry's latest Monk novel: 'An Echo of Murder'

An Echo of Murder (William Monk Mystery, Book 23): A thrilling journey into the dark streets of Victorian London by Anne Perry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



'An Echo of Murder' is another terrific read from a terrific writer. Good writers like Anne Perry use their skills not just to tell a great story but to make readers think. These writers use their craft to highlight things we should all be thinking about today. She does this without being too obvious or 'in your face' with the ideas, ideals and i...

Japanese memories

Summer Festivals. The heat, the crowds, so many people on the yati - floats - the noise and the night time finale of fireworks. I wish we had summer festivals here in New Zealand.

Looking back.JAPAN

It seems to me that looking back can be a pain or a joy.

 Fortunately I've been enjoying looking at my Japanese photographs, finally found after much crossness and panic - nearly a year of searching, Years of enjoying non-tourist festivals and religious events I recorded carefully and had some good pictures. It was a disaster not to have them.

Here are four from a charming Snake Matsuri a re-enactment of a tale of the snake and the maiden.

Autumn in Canada is beautiful, just wish my camera picked...

Autumn in Canada is beautiful, just wish my camera picked up the colours more. Still it's been a great working holiday. And thinking of work it's been fun watching the ebooks sale online.Both Tizzie and Bittersweet soared into the top 100s lists which boosted PR from Amazon and so boosted sales again.

Seems to me though that the problem is maintaining those levels between sales without advertising in readers' newsletters.

Ah well. I'm learning.


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That Indian Trip

It's nearly a year since that marvellous trip to India and I still haven't sorted out the notes and photographs to made a report for myself and the blog. but I do have fun remembering as I look at the photos. Here are some favourites plus memories:


Our home hosts in Kolkata, the lovely Dawars, enjoyed giving us delicious local Indian food in the local regional recipes. I still make their carrot 'porridge' for breakfast.

It seems to me I have to return. I loved India.

READERS PLEASE NOTE:1 a.m. W...

Life moves on....?

September vanished in a flurry of trips and the new novel setting in to its stride. The series of short stories has been out with editors for weeks. The competition stories are safely posted. So September should have been a good month for writing. Instead it's been on to one aircraft, off, then on again.

Australia was destination two, a conference - the Historical Novel Society - and family time. Canada has been and still is destination three. More writing work and talk! I do enjoy conferences...

Book Sale coming up!

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Peace on earth?

It seems to me we have dropped through a wormhole and are back in the mid-twentieth century. We have two nuclear nations snarling and threatening, only this time we don't have shelters and nuclear attack practices.

I grew up under the shadow of  The Bomb! And it was a shadow which reached over all our lives even though we tried hard not to let it darken each day. It did though. An unexpected siren, an out of routine flight by the air force, the Cuba Crisis, we lived with that fear of anni...

A p.d.r. lindsay interview.

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Review: 'Almost English' by Charlotte Mendelson

Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson




Shortlisted this novel may have been for the Orange prize, but it has been a warning to me as a writer. A warning that characters must be people readers like, empathise with, and so are willing to suspend disbelief and read on, wanting to know what happens to them.

I did my best to finish the book but gave up. Oh nothing wrong with the writing, Ms Mendelson is a skillful writer, she has a way with words and creates vivid settings. BUT her two MC women chara...