Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: London Calling
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 6/7/1968
WEBSITE: http://www.sarasheridan.com/
CITY: Edinburgh, Scotland
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: Scottish
http://www.amazon.com/Sara-Sheridan/e/B001K8DT1S/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1 http://www.doublecluck.com/authors/sara-sheridan http://www.scotsman.com/news/interview_sara_sheridan_i_m_me_and_i_m_jammy_1_1589241 http://www.welovethisbook.com/features/novelists-are-quite-mad-sara-sheridan * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Sheridan
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born June 7, 1968, in Edinburgh, Scotland; children: Molly.
EDUCATION:Attended Trinity College, Dublin.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and screenwriter. Occasional commentator for radio and television. Former administrator, Edinburgh University.
AWARDS:Sky Movies Max Award nomination, 2001, for The Window Bed; Saltire Prize nomination, and Scottish Libraries Top 100 Books citation, both for Truth or Dare.
WRITINGS
Also author of short films Fish Supper and The Window Bed. Author of The Love Squad, 2011. Contributor to periodicals and media outlets; maintains a blog for the Guardian.
Sheridan’s “Mirabelle Bevan Mysteries” were optioned for television in 2015.
SIDELIGHTS
Scottish-born Sara Sheridan is a successful author who “writes cosy crime noir mysteries set in 1950s Brighton,” explained the contributor of a biographical blurb to the author’s home page, the Sara Sheridan Website, “and historical novels based on the real-life stories of … [British] explorers.” Her works range from standalone contemporary romances like Truth or Dare and Ma Polinski’s Pockets to historical romances (like The Secret Mandarin and On Starlit Seas: A Gripping Tale of Unexpected Passion, Secrets and Escape) to the mysteries featuring retired secret service professional Mirabelle Bevan set in 1950s Brighton, the famous resort town on England’s southern coast.
I'm Me! and On Starlit Seas
Sheridan is also the author of the children’s book I’m Me!, which was based on activities she pursued with her young niece. Young Inogen loves to visit her Auntie Sara, who “sports heeled ankle boots, a chunky necklace, and lots of fluffy reddish hair,” said Diane Foote in Booklist. “‘I wrote I’m Me! because I was asked to write a children’s book,’ … Sara explains,” wrote a Scotsman interviewer. “`It’s all about me trying to get Imogen to do things she doesn’t want to do, and it’s based on a game we used to play.’ That includes getting her to dress up as a pirate, a witch or a princess, yet all Imogen wants to do is spend the day in the park.” “Children will … enjoy,” stated a Kirkus Reviews, “…. the zany suggestions of Aunt Sara to Imogen’s rejection to an even more outlandish suggestion.” “This playful gem that explores pretending and being oneself,” opined Marge Loch-Wouters, writing in School Library Journal, “will find a welcome place in libraries.”
Sheridan reveals her predilection for historical fiction in On Starlit Seas. “One of the main characters is Maria Graham, the widow of a ship’s captain, who has lived in Chile and Brazil and is making her way home to England,” said a Portobello Book Blog reviewer. Graham was a real person, a traveler, writer, and naturalist who traveled to and lived in South America in the early decades of the nineteenth century. “Most unusually for the time, she is travelling alone. Even more unusually, she is very independent and a published author,” the Portobello Book Blog reviewer continued. “At a time of unrest in the Americas, there are few ships to make her journey on and she travels on the Bittersweet, which is under the command of Captain James Henderson.” “Henderson is on a journey of his own,” declared a Historia contributor, “back to his childhood home in Covent Garden.” Graham discovers a secret hidden in the chocolate Henderson is shipping, and the revelation leads the two of them into danger. “Sheridan binds together social comment, romance on the high seas, pursuit by excisemen, knife-wielding toerags in the stench of 19th-century London and the consumption of so much hot chocolate that the pages seem impregnated with its heady aroma,” concluded Alastair Mabbot in the Sunday Herald. “It all makes On Starlit Seas a pleasure to consume.”
Brighton Belle
The “Mirabelle Bevan Mysteries” series are set in the post-World War II years. Their protagonist is Mirabelle Bevan, who served with distinction in the Secret Service during the war—and had an affair with a colleague, a married man named Jack. “Early 1950s England is effectively portrayed in this intriguing mystery story,” declared a Historical Novel Society reviewer. “The ongoing problems of rationing are invoked.” When Brighton Belle, the first volume, opens, “the war [has] ended, Jack died unexpectedly,” explained a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “and Mirabelle finds herself the only employee of a Brighton collection agency.”
When a pregnant Hungarian refugee and debtor disappears, Mirabelle is inspired to put her talents to use. “The call to action comes at just the right time for her,” stated Linda Lawlor in the Bookbag, “and even more fortuitous is the fact that she gets to know Vesta Churchill, a friendly young woman with a penchant for chocolate biscuits, who readily joins her in her investigation. The book is full of details of fifties dress, food and décor, and the casual cruelty many people show Vesta.”
London Calling and England Expects
In London Calling, Mirabelle and her West Indian associate Vesta look into the disappearance of a young London debutant. “Black saxophone player Lindon Claremont, the last person to be seen with her, is the police’s chief suspect,” stated a contributor to the Scotsman, “largely on account of his colour.” “The story grows progressively darker,” declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “as Sheridan delves into issues of race and class.” “The period and social detail of this cosy mystery is accurate and delivered with a light touch,” assessed a Historical Novel Society reviewer. “I enjoyed both the characterisation and fast pace of the story.”
England Expects involves a search for the assets of the murdered brother of a client. Soon “Mirabelle, with her helpful police friend, Superintendent McGregor,” stated a contributor to the Historical Novel Society, “finds herself up to her neck in bodies.”
British Bulldog and Operation Goodwood
British Bulldog forces Mirabelle to confront her own past. “Mirabelle … has been left a bequest in a will, by a man she only met twice,” declared a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society. “In order to obtain her bequest she must first find Philip Caine.” The search brings back memories of the time she spent during the war, and of her married lover. “The hunt takes her to Paris, still terribly scarred by the Nazi occupation,” stated Linda Lawlor in the Bookbag, “and as she carries out her investigations she finds she is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about Jack, the man she loved so intensely. She meets his wife, which makes her feel all the misery and frustration of being the other woman, and there is no one she can turn to for comfort: not a single person.”
In Operation Goodwood, Mirabelle’s apartment complex is set on fire; although she is rescued her neighbor, Dougie Beaumont, is not so fortunate. “Mirabelle discovers that Dougie’s friend, George Highton, and his father, sister and brother-in-law,” said a Historical Novel Society reviewer, “are all concealing another lifestyle and illegal money-making activity.” In the process, wrote a contributor to Historia, “Mirabelle discovers the dark secrets of the glamorous racing driver have ramifications far beyond the English coastline.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2011, Diane Foote, review of I’m Me!, p. 63.
Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2011, review of I’m Me!
Publishers Weekly, May 16, 2016, review of Brighton Belle; February 6, 2017, review of London Calling, p. 48.
School Library Journal, March, 2011, Marge Loch-Wouters, review of I’m Me!, p. 134.
Scotsman, April 12, 2011, author interview; March 31, 2013, Douglas Osler, review of London Calling.
Sunday Herald, August 19, 2016, Alastair Mabbot, review of On Starlit Seas: A Gripping Tale of Unexpected Passion, Secrets and Escape.
ONLINE
Bookbag, http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/ (April 1, 2012), Linda Lawlor, review of Brighton Belle; May 1, 2015, Linda Lawlor, review of British Bulldog.
Historia, http://www.historiamag.com/ (April 7, 2016), review of Operation Goodwood; (July 18, 2016), review of On Starlit Seas.
Historical Novel Society, https://historicalnovelsociety.org/ (November 8, 2017), reviews of Brighton Belle, London Calling, England Expects, British Bulldog, and Operation Goodwood.
Portobello Book Blog, https://portobellobookblog.com/ (July 29, 2016), review of On Starlit Seas.
Sara Sheridan Website, http://www.sarasheridan.com (November 8, 2017), author profile.
Sara Sheridan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sara Sheridan
Image of Sara Sheridan.jpg
Born 7 June 1968 (age 49)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation Writer
Nationality Scottish
Genre Novels, Historical, Crime
Notable works Brighton Belle
Website
www.sarasheridan.com
Sara Sheridan (born 7 June 1968) is a Scottish writer who works in a variety of genres, though predominately in historical fiction. She is the creator of the Mirabelle Bevan mysteries.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Work
3 Bibliography
4 References
5 External links
Biography[edit]
Born Sara Louise Goodwin, Sheridan comes from Edinburgh and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.[1][2][3] She is a former member of the Society of Authors Committee for Scotland.[4]
Work[edit]
Sheridan's first book, contemporary commercial fiction, Truth or Dare entered the Sunday Times top 50 when it was published in 1998. It was nominated for the Saltire Prize and was also listed in the Scottish Libraries Top 100 Books. In the successive two years Sheridan wrote two more novels in the same genre, Ma Polinski's Pockets and The Pleasure Express. During this period, she also co-wrote two short films, Fish Supper[5] starring Lynda Bellingham and The Window Bed, which was nominated for a Sky Movies Max Award in 2001. She was then commissioned by specialist publisher Barrington Stoke to write a novella for reluctant readers, called The Blessed and The Damned.[6]
In 2003, she switched genres to historical fiction and funded the move by ghostwriting.[citation needed] She now writes two series of historical novels: one based on the real lives of late Georgian/early Victorian adventurers (The Secret Mandarin – 2009, Secret of the Sands – 2011, On Starlit Seas – 2016,) and a series of 1950s cosy crime noir mysteries featuring her fictional ex-secret service heroine, Mirabelle Bevan (Brighton Belle – 2012, London Calling – 2014, British Bulldog – 2015, Operation Goodwood – 2016, Russian Roulette – 2017','Indian Summer – 2018 and Highland Fling 2019). The Mirabelle Bevan Mysteries were optioned by STV in 2015 and are now in development.[citation needed] She has also written a children's picture book, (I'm Me – 2010) which was inspired by her relationship with her niece.
Sheridan occasionally appears as a commenter on TV and radio in the UK.[7] She has reported from both Tallinn, Estonia[8] and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates[9] for BBC Radio 4.[10] She has contributed to several British newspapers, including writing blog articles for The Guardian in 2011.[11][12]
In 2013 she appeared on The History of the Lady on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. Sheridan also writes blog articles for the Huffington Post[13][14][15] and occasionally writes for the BBC online.[16] She occasionally writes TV-tie in books most recently for the second series of ITV's hit drama series, "Victoria" based on the life of Queen Victoria.
A portrait of her by Scottish artist, Sophie Mckay Knight the result of a creative collaboration, was featured by The Guardian Art & Design column in 2015[17] before going on to public exhibition in the National Gallery of Scotland.
In 2016 Sara was inspired to found REEK.[18] – a fragrance company that speaks out against the lack of female memorialisation throughout history. Her fragrances memorialise 'heroic, unapologetic and passionate women from history to the present day' and has been called the 'first feminist fragrance'. The first fragrance from REEK. is in memory of the Jacobite women.
Bibliography[edit]
Novels
Truth or Dare (1998)
Ma Polinski’s Pockets (1999)
The Pleasure Express (2001)
The Blessed and the Damned (2002)
The Secret Mandarin (2009)
Secret of the Sands (2010)
Brighton Belle (2012)
London Calling (2013)
England Expects (2014)
British Bulldog (2015)
Operation Goodwood (2016)
On Starlit Seas (2016)
Russian Roulette (2017)
Indian Summer (2018)
Highland Fling (2019)
Children's Picture Books
I'm Me (2010)
Interview: Sara Sheridan - I'm me.. and I'm jammy Published: 10:41 Tuesday 12 April 2011 Updated: 12:32 Saturday 16 April 2011 Share this article She reckons she is one of the jammiest people in the city. A best-selling writer who makes her living from telling stories, gets to travel the country, yet still manages to spend quality time with her family and friends. After all, Sara Sheridan only decided to write a book after a drunken night out nearly 15 years ago, but got her first work published within a year. Struggling to juggle life as a working, single mum, she was desperate to make it as a novelist. Now one of the country's most popular writers with many more books to her name, two of which were released over the last two months, Sara Sheridan, 42, cannot quite believe she has made it. "How lucky am I?" she laughs. "Quite often I speak at book festivals and people ask me how I got published. There's people who have been working on a book for as long as ten years and I feel like such a cow." But she has never taken any of it for granted. Today she is celebrating the success of I'm Me, her first children's book, released last month, written about her niece Imogen, six, who lives around the corner from her in the city's West End. She's just discovered that not only have the rights been granted for a Korean translation of the book, but it is also to be published in America, meaning US youngsters will able to share the joy of the tale based on her by a self-confessed "mad auntie". This comes as her latest historical novel, Secret of the Sands, set against the backdrop of the British abolition of the slave trade, enjoys rave reviews following its release in February. "I wrote I'm Me because I was asked to write a children's book," Edinburgh-born Sara explains. "It's all about me trying to get Imogen to do things she doesn't want to do, and it's based on a game we used to play." That includes getting her to dress up as a pirate, a witch or a princess, yet all Imogen wants to do is spend the day in the park. The book is bound to be a favourite with children who know their own minds - just like her young niece. "Imogen has always been a very serious child. She was born that way," laughs Sara. "She is an amazing girl and knows exactly what she wants to do. I did an event at her school, Edinburgh Academy, recently, talking about how important family is and she read the book out to the class. As I was leaving, I noticed she was signing copies. I thought, why not?" Not only is she a proud auntie to Imogen, but her brothers have many more children to whom she is close. She is also a mum to 19-year-old Molly who is training in prosthetics and make-up at Strathclyde University, hoping to one day work in the special effects industry. It was when Molly was just three that Sara, recently divorced and working in administration at Edinburgh University, was struggling to have a full-time job and be a mum. "I got drunk one night with a friend and told her that if I could just work from home things would be so much easier. So we wrote a list of all the things I could do and the top one was to write a book. I had never thought about doing it before, but decided to give myself a year, writing 1000 words a day for three months," she says. Within six weeks of completing Truth or Dare, a story about two girls and four men during the troubles in Northern Ireland, she had secured a publisher and the book was shortlisted for the Saltire Award shortly after it's release in 1998 - and she has felt slightly guilty about her quick success ever since. "I am incredibly jammy," she says. "I really am." While she does not rule out writing another children's book, her next project is another work of historical fiction, this time looking at Britain's chocolate making industry in the 1800s. And with plans to get married later in the year, she is a busy woman. "I'm a great one for getting things done though," she says. "If I hadn't been able to get my first book published I am not sure what I would have done. I cannot even remember what else I wrote on that piece of paper that night - and I don't have it now."
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-sara-sheridan-i-m-me-and-i-m-jammy-1-1589241
"History is a treasure chest which contains not only facts and figures, archive material and artefacts but stories. I love the stories."
Sara Sheridan was born in Edinburgh and studied at Trinity College, Dublin. She works in a wide range of media and genres. Tipped in Company and GQ magazines, she has been nominated for a Young Achiever Award. She has also received a Scottish Library Award and was shortlisted for the Saltire Book Prize. She sits on the committee for the Society of Authors in Scotland (where she lives) and on the board of UK-wide writers' collective '26' the campaign for the importance of words. She blogs on the Guardian site about her writing life and puts her hand up to being a 'twitter evangelist'. She also appears, occasionally on BBC Radio, most recently on Radio 4's From Our Own Correspondent, talking about Estonian independence on one occasion and human rights in UAE on another. She mentors writers for the Scottish Book Trust. Sara is also a member of the Historical Writers' Association (for Secret of the Sands and The Secret Mandarin) and the Crime Writers' Association (for the Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series). A self-confessed 'word nerd' her favourite book is 'Water Music' by TC Boyle.
ABOUT SARA
If you are a blogger or journalist, or you are introducing Sara at an event and would like to request a full bio, please send us an email. Otherwise, read on…
Sara Sheridan is an Edinburgh-based novelist who writes cosy crime noir mysteries set in 1950s Brighton and historical novels based on the real-life stories of late Georgian and early Victorian explorers. She has also written for children – her picture book I’m Me has appeared on CBeebies three times.
She takes a broad approach to research from the archive to the vintage shop. Sara is also an active campaigner and feminist. She is a twitter evangelist and a self-confessed swot (that’s a nerd if you’re from the US).
Sara believes writers need writers and has sat on a variety of committees in writing organisations as well as taking part in a plethora of writing exhibitions. She occasionally mentors fledgling writers for the Scottish Book Trust and appears regularly as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events.
In 2016 she founded the brand REEK. perfume with signature scent – Damn Rebel Bitches, which has been called ‘the first feminist fragrance.’
Sara has been named one of the Saltire Society’s 365 most influential Scottish women, past and present. Sara is also patron of registered Edinburgh charity Its Good 2 Give, which provides support for critically ill children and their families.
I'm Me
Diane Foote
Booklist.
107.14 (Mar. 15, 2011): p63.
COPYRIGHT 2011 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
I'm Me.
By Sara Sheridan. Illus. by Margaret Chamberlain.
Apr. 2011. 32p. Scholastic/Chicken House, $17.99
(9780545282222). PreS-K.
Kids lucky enough to have a cool aunt (or uncle, or neighbor, for that matter) will relate to this lighthearted look at a
fun get-together. When Imogene gets to Auntie Sara's house, they peek at each other through the mail slot as if they just
can't wait to see one another, and they joyfully agree to play "pretend." But it turns out Imogene doesn't want to be a
monkey, or a pirate, or a princess, or anything else--except herself, snuggled up at the conclusion with Auntie Sara,
reading stories about all those things. Bright, active artwork portrays the litany of imaginary scenarios on double-page
spreads, with Imogene herself set off against a contrasting background, reiterating "Today I want to be ..." Auntie Sara
sports heeled ankle boots, a chunky necklace, and lots of fluffy reddish hair; Imogene is cute without being too
precious. This cheerful, self-assured little girl and the aunt who lets her be herself will show both kids and grown-ups
how to have a good time together.--Diane Foote
Foote, Diane
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Foote, Diane. "I'm Me." Booklist, 15 Mar. 2011, p. 63+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA252847430&it=r&asid=2903868456b9f5997177ef2d350a2137.
Accessed 15 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A252847430
10/15/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1508098139718 2/4
Sheridan, Sara:
Kirkus Reviews.
(Mar. 15, 2011):
COPYRIGHT 2011 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Sheridan, Sara I'M ME! Chicken House/Scholastic (Adult Picture Books) $17.99 4, 1 ISBN: 978-0-545-28222-2
When Imogen arrives at her Aunt Sara's house for the day, she announces that she is ready to "play pretend." Aunt Sara
runs wild with this idea, offering a series of suggestions, from a naughty monkey to a beautiful princess, a witch's cat to
a pirate's parrot! Aunt Sara's ideas are depicted in almost psychedelic colors splashed across each page spread. Imogen
occupies a narrow column in a contrasting color on the very edge of each right-hand page, from which she summarily
rejects each suggestion. Children will no doubt enjoy this back and forth, from the zany suggestions of Aunt Sara to
Imogen's rejection to an even more outlandish suggestion. The resolution to their dialogue, unfortunately, doesn't really
work. In a confusing turn, Imogen finally announces what she wants to be—herself. She wants to go to the park,
eat ice cream and then curl up with her Aunt Sara and enjoy some stories. This is a fine way to spend the day, no doubt,
but in a story that seems intended to celebrate the imagination, it provides a most contradictory and unsatisfying
conclusion. (Picture book. 3-6)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Sheridan, Sara:." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2011. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA256558720&it=r&asid=60adbd710386774a7dd6787cf58ef11a.
Accessed 15 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A256558720
10/15/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1508098139718 3/4
London Calling: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery
Publishers Weekly.
264.6 (Feb. 6, 2017): p48.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
London Calling: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery
Sara Sheridan. Kensington, $25 (256p)
ISBN 978-1-4967-0122-0
Set in 1952, Sheridan's satisfying second Mirabelle Bevan mystery (after 2016's Brighton Belle) opens with the
disappearance of debutante Rose Bellamy Gore, who was last seen at a London jazz club in the company of
saxophonist Lindon Claremont. Lindon, a childhood friend of Vesta Churchill, Mirabelle's partner in the debt collection
agency that the pair run in Brighton, calls at their office the day after Rose goes missing for advice. He agrees he
should cooperate with the police, who regard him with extra suspicion because he's black. Lindon returns to London,
where he subsequently dies in police custody, an apparent suicide. Tough and glamorous Mirabelle, who worked for
British intelligence during WWII, travels with Vesta to London, where she calls on police acquaintances and former
war colleagues for clues; she also visits some jazz clubs. The story grows progressively darker as Sheridan delves into
issues of race and class--not to mention loyalty and abuse of power--in this extraordinarily rich historical. Agent: Jenny
Brown, Jenny Brown Associates (U.K.). (Apr.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"London Calling: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery." Publishers Weekly, 6 Feb. 2017, p. 48. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA480593835&it=r&asid=7d12ec1eb14e21483ece20d4dd750931.
Accessed 15 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A480593835
10/15/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
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Sheridan, Sara. I'm Me!
Marge Loch-Wouters
School Library Journal.
57.3 (Mar. 2011): p134.
COPYRIGHT 2011 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution
permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
SHERIDAN, Sara. I'm Me! illus, by Margaret Chamberlain. 32p. Scholastic/Chicken House. Apr. 2011. Tr 517.99.
ISBN 978-0-545-28222-2. LC number unavailable.
PreS-Gr 1--Imogen's visits to her aunt's house are always an adventure. AS the child rashes in, Auntie Sara asks her
what she wants to play. "Can we play pretend?" And the woman replies "Yes, yes, yes, we can!" A turn of each page
reveals a suggestion: a naughty monkey, a princess and queen; a witch and her kitty; a pirate and parrot; knights, or
astronauts with Auntie and Imogen gloriously decked out. But to each inquiry, Imogen smilingly replies "No! Today I
want to be...." and she reveals she just wants to be herself. The duo dash off to enjoy the park, have an ice cream, and
then settle in back home with stories and snuggling in the cozy conclusion. The exuberant, candy-colored illustrations
show the pair delighting in each other as they cavort across the spreads. There are few books starring an aunt and her
niece, and this playful gem that explores pretending and being oneself will find a welcome place in libraries.--Marge
Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI
Loch-Wouters, Marge
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Loch-Wouters, Marge. "Sheridan, Sara. I'm Me!" School Library Journal, Mar. 2011, p. 134. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA250322351&it=r&asid=f829ad49bdd194bc89d00e5e773119a7.
Accessed 15 Oct. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A250322351
London Calling
BY SARA SHERIDAN
Find & buy on
1952. Sixty years ago, the changes imposed by the war years had worked their way deep into the psyche of many people. Some for good, and some for bad.
Mirabelle Bevan, socialite and ex-Secret Service, leaves her expensive flat with the Georgian windows and walks through early morning Brighton to the debt-collecting agency she runs with her friend and colleague, Vesta. She is surprised to find someone waiting there for her. Wearing black and white shoes with red laces, he holds a battered saxophone case. He is looking for his friend Vesta in the hope that she can help him escape questioning by the police over the disappearance of a young girl in London. From such unpretentious beginnings, the story unfolds in a logical sequence of events in which not everyone comes out unscathed.
The period and social detail of this cosy mystery is accurate and delivered with a light touch. I enjoyed both the characterisation and fast pace of the story, though I did wonder how much cash Ms Bevan carried with her on a daily basis, as she whizzes up to London and back to Brighton several times without needing to replenish her supply. No credit cards then! Hotels also seem very accommodating to the point of providing a new pair of stockings when Ms Bevan falls foul of the villains. Perhaps they added their cost to her bill, but it is discreetly never mentioned.
This tale of two females turned amateur detective was unusual, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, though it does at times have the overall tone of sixth-formers following up clues to help a friend. This is not a bad thing, as Ms Bevan always survives the worst the villains can throw at her, and the reader is not overwhelmed with the depressing and often sadistic violence found in other thrillers.
Book review: London Calling by Sara Sheridan DOUGLAS OSLER Published: 00:00 Sunday 31 March 2013 Share this article 0 HAVE YOUR SAY SARA Sheridan wrote historical fiction before she switched to writing crime, and her second Mirabelle Bevan mystery certainly captures the atmosphere of the early 1950s. London Calling Sara Sheridan Polygon, £12.99 In London, although most of the war damage has been repaired and the Soho nightclubs reopened, the smog persists and so does rationing. In Brighton, Mirabelle has put her wartime role as a secret service agent behind her and is a partner in a Brighton debt collection firm which doubles as a private detective agency. Eighteen-year-old Rose Bellamy Gore has slipped out of her Belgravia home at night and is picked up by her cousin Harry in his Aston Martin. A friend joins them and they head off to Soho nightclubs. Later that evening, she disappears. Black saxophone player Lindon Claremont, the last person to be seen with her, is the police’s chief suspect, largely on account of his colour. He seeks the help of his childhood friend, Vesta Churchill, who is also black and is Mirabelle’s partner in the debt collection/private eye business. They in turn involve Detective Superintendent McGregor, who has left Lothian and Borders Police to clean up the Brighton force. There is the hint of a romance with Mirabelle – no doubt to be developed in the next book. Mirabelle needs little encouragement to put aside her debt collecting and concentrate on unravelling the mystery. She starts with what can only be described as clumsy information gathering on the London club scene. As a result of her wartime experiences she has some unusual detection skills. She memorises room numbers in a hotel using an encryption code and burgles the rooms with the stock of hairpins she carries for this very purpose. Unfortunately, she is not a convincing private detective, and comes across as more of an interfering busybody. The only tragedy in the book takes place too early in the story and there are few surprises thereafter. Instead of a serious attempt to solve a crime, what we have here is more of a lighthearted romp. «
Read more at: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/books/book-review-london-calling-by-sara-sheridan-1-2868047
Brighton Belle
Sara Sheridan. Kensington, $25 (256p) ISBN 978-1-4967-0118-3
MORE BY AND ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Mirabelle Bevan, the heroine of this entertaining series launch set in London and Brighton in 1951 from British author Sheridan (Secret of the Sands), worked in an intelligence unit during WWII and was deeply in love with her colleague Jack. The war ended, Jack died unexpectedly, and Mirabelle finds herself the only employee of a Brighton collection agency. Her life is one of routine and a certain numbing sadness. When her boss leaves her in charge of the office for a few days, life suddenly changes for plucky, resourceful Mirabelle. Soon she's off on an adventure that calls on all of her considerable skills as a linguist, arms specialist, and connoisseur of fashion. This is a wonderful book for those who like to take a peek at life in the 1950s, including the mores, manners, and clothes. For example, before going undercover at a race course, Mirabelle has to put on a snappy hat because no lady would go to the track without a hat, and Mirabelle is indeed a lady, even when she's climbing over back fences and knocking back whiskey. (Apr.)
Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan
Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan
Category: Crime (Historical)
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
Reviewed by Linda Lawlor
Summary: The war is over and Mirabelle Bevan, ex-Secret Service, has moved to Brighton. Her secretarial work for a debt collection agency seems simple enough, until she comes across a suspicious case and decides to use her war-time skills to investigate further.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 243 Date: April 2012
Publisher: Polygon
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781846972287
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1951 is a year still in the shadow of the war. Food is rationed but clothing is more readily available and Mirabelle is an elegant and sophisticated woman. She worked in intelligence during the war and in the build-up to Nuremberg, rather than in the field, but since the death of her lover all she has wanted to do is flee her past life and forget. She finds herself a quiet, undemanding job far away from London and all her old acquaintances, and for two years she leads an unexceptional life. But one day when her boss is absent she is asked to collect a debt from Romana Laszlo, a pregnant Hungarian refugee who has moved to the coast to have her baby. She soon finds that the facts about the woman do not add up, and she cannot resist doing a little detective work to find out the truth. Using her old Secret Service skills gives her the jolt she needs to move on from her grief, and despite the risks, her cloak-and-dagger strategies and planning make her feel more alive than she has for a couple of years. She is joined in her investigations by a young insurance clerk from the office down the hall, and between them they uncover a complex and deadly plot which involves the war, several corpses, a betting scam and a prostitution ring.
Mirabelle Bevan is an intriguing and likeable heroine. She had an exciting war, and working in intelligence meant her competence, quick mind and ability to organise were given free rein. She rarely did any active spying, but she knew all the theory, and had even written some of the manuals for her team. At the same time she fell madly in love with a married man who fully intended to divorce his wife after the war so he could marry her, but when he died suddenly of a heart attack she shut down and sought a life which would make as few demands on her emotions as possible. Nonetheless, the old Mirabelle is still there, shown by the way she carefully observes and times the beach attendant's routines in order to avoid paying for her deckchair, and she remains a rounded and human character even at her lowest point - particularly in her baffled approach to the maintenance of the office pot plant.
The call to action comes at just the right time for her, and even more fortuitous is the fact that she gets to know Vesta Churchill, a friendly young woman with a penchant for chocolate biscuits, who readily joins her in her investigation. The book is full of details of fifties dress, food and décor, and the casual cruelty many people show Vesta, who is black, is lightly but tellingly depicted. Mirabelle is outraged at the things people say to her friend, but Vesta is philosophical, and refuses to allow it to get her down. The contrast between the young, light-hearted Vesta and the older, clever Mirabelle is a real strength in their relationship.
This book is the first in a series of twelve, which run through the fifties and show the way people celebrated the end of hostilities and coped with the austerities of post-war Britain. It is a light and pleasant read with plenty of colour and action, and will engage the reader from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.
This book is written in a gentler style than you will find with most contemporary female detectives – almost but not quite cosy. Imagine The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (plus Nazis), set in an English seaside resort, or Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich without the sex and most of the comedy.
Buy Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan at Amazon.co.uk.
Buy Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy Brighton Belle: a Mirabelle Bevan Mystery by Sara Sheridan at Amazon.com.
Brighton Belle
BY SARA SHERIDAN
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The year is 1951, and although rationing is still in force, England is slowly moving towards normality after the war years. Following the death of her married lover, Mirabelle Bevan, a backroom girl for the Secret Service, has moved to Brighton to start a new life where she takes a job as a secretary for a debt collection agency. However, her desire for a quiet life, where excitement consists of avoiding paying for a deck chair on the beach, is short-lived. When a client – pregnant refugee Romana Laszlo – disappears, followed shortly after by Mirabelle’s boss “Big Ben” McGuigan, Mirabelle finds herself following a trail of gold sovereigns, betting scams and murder.
Early 1950s England is effectively portrayed in this intriguing mystery story. The ongoing problems of rationing are invoked, as is the casual racial discrimination in which a lady of West Indian origin is regarded as a cultural oddity not worthy of respect, which was endemic at this time. The bodies pile up with satisfying regularity, and Mirabelle finds herself in danger from Nazis as well as corrupt policemen before the story is brought to a satisfactory end. An excellent read for the beach or a long flight.
On Starlit Seas by Sara Sheridan
29/07/2016Joanne
On Starlit Seas: A gripping tale of unexpected passion, secrets and escape by [Sheridan, Sara]
When I was asked by Black & White Publishing if I’d like to read a story which had chocolate at its heart I was hardly going to say no. When the book arrived beautifully wrapped and with a rather lovely looking bar of chocolate I was even more pleased that I agreed to review it! On Starlit Seas gives a fascinating glimpse into the world of chocolate trading and smuggling in the 1820s in a richly detailed story.
One of the main characters is Maria Graham, the widow of a ship’s captain, who has lived in Chile and Brazil and is making her way home to England. Most unusually for the time, she is travelling alone. Even more unusually, she is very independent and a published author. At a time of unrest in the Americas, there are few ships to make her journey on and she travels on the Bittersweet, which is under the command of Captain James Henderson. The Bittersweet is carrying a cargo of chocolate and, unknown to the captain initially, one particular bar of chocolate is worth rather more than he realised. As Maria and James become acquainted on the long sea journey, an attraction grows between them but social convention dictates this is an impossible relationship. Add in a group of gentlemen (and I lose the word loosely!) involved in a smuggling ring under the cover of a bridge club, the seedy underworld of London and you have a epic tale of adventure and love.
It was the author’s attention to detail which first struck me as I was reading. In the first few chapters we are taken deep into the Brazilian jungle and on to the bustling port of Natal. Sara Sheridan made the heat, dirt and danger of the jungle feel all too real and brought the busy port to life. I could easily imagine the port where the fishermen sang as they mended nets, the juicy fresh mangoes were tasted and trade deals were negotiated. Sara Sheridan was just as skilled at describing life on board ship and the dangers found in London where outwardly respectable wood-panelled clubs hid underhand and dangerous dealings.
Maria Graham is a fascinating character, not least because she was a real person. You can read more about her here (though I can’t of course vouch for Wikipedia being 100% accurate). She published several books about her travels and in this novel is bringing two more manuscripts to her publisher in London. This was at a time when women’s opinions and intelligence was not valued or even recognised by the majority of men. Maria was prevented from speaking to The Royal Society about her discovery of a way to measure earthquakes “The prattling of ladies, even ladies who travel, is not of interest to the Society’s members. We are serious fellows. Ladies, sir, lower the tone.” Maria herself seems to have had exacting standards and would not read the ‘frothy’ works of Austen “unless she was ill”, preferring scientific works. These same standards meant she still felt bound to certain conventions and, although attracted to Captain Henderson, would not contemplate a relationship as he would have been beneath her. Partly though, I feel this was as she would feel, as a married woman, she would lose the independence she so valued.
I haven’t even touched upon the chocolate business part of the story where we read about more familiar names such as the Fry family, or what was happening with the gentlemen of the bridge club, or much about Captain Henderson who is an important character in his own right. As you can see, there’s a lot going on in this book. It’s a book to lose yourself in as you enter a world of smuggling, chocolate, adventure and love in the 1820s.
Thanks to Laura at Black & White Publishing for my review copy. On Starlit Seas was published on 28th July in paperback and as an ebook. You can order a copy here: On Starlit Seas.
From the back of the book
Celebrated writer and historian Maria Graham must make the treacherous voyage from Brazil to London to deliver her latest book to her publisher. Having come to terms with the loss of her beloved husband, Maria now has renewed hope for the future and is determined to live her life as she pleases, free from the smothering constraints of Georgian society.
For a woman travelling alone it’s a journey fraught with danger, and as civil war rages around her, the only ship prepared to take Maria belongs to roguish smuggler Captain James Henderson. Onboard, all is well until Maria makes two shocking discoveries – the first a deadly secret, the second an irresistible attraction to the enigmatic captain.
With Henderson on a journey of his own and determined to finally put his life of crime behind him, he and Maria grow ever closer. But can Henderson escape his illicit past or will the scandalous secret he’s hiding ruin them both?
On Starlit Seas is a breathtaking and compelling story of passion, secrets and escape.
19th August 2016
'Social comment, romance on the high seas, and the stench of 19th century London' – Review: On Starlit Seas by Sara Sheridan
Alastair Mabbott
Sara Sheridan
Sara Sheridan
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ON STARLIT SEAS
Sara Sheridan
Black & White, £8.99
As a historical romance or a Georgian-era smuggling thriller, On Starlit Seas is the kind of page-turner it’s pleasant to curl up with, a steaming mug of hot chocolate at the ready. Look a little deeper and this novel reveals itself to be a tenacious exploration into how people are kept in their place, and often compelled to rise above it, by the rigid codes of class.
Its heroine is the real-life 19th-century writer Maria Graham, a woman well ahead of her time. “A keen observer of life abroad”, with a serious, analytical mind and an aptitude for science, her books were published by John Murray, whose roster included Jane Austen, Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott. We join her after the death of her husband in Brazil, where civil war has broken out and the only way to get to London and submit her latest manuscripts is to book passage with the roguish but essentially decent (and entirely fictional) trader Captain John Henderson and his cargo of cacao.
As a child in London, Henderson anticipated becoming a respectable gentleman but, when he moved to South America to be with his father, found that his old man was not the prosperous colonial businessman his letters home claimed. John grew up instead to become the skipper of an antiquated trading barque with a sideline in smuggling. Returning to London is almost like reclaiming a birthright: the city represents everything he wanted to be.
The class that Captain Henderson aspires to join, however, is stifling Maria. All that we find admirable about her – her independence, her status as a writer, her willingness to fight her way through jungles – is abhorrent to her family, who want to bring the wayward woman to heel and turn her into a proper society lady. Henderson awakens a passion in Maria that she never felt for her late husband. But she’s well aware that marrying someone so unsuitable would ruin everything she’s achieved.
As it happens, there are far greater dangers brewing. Henderson has allowed himself to be recruited into a cacao-smuggling operation run by a sinister trio of London “gentlemen”. Men have already died, and the captain will need all his wits and experience to negotiate his way through this one. It’s an exciting enough plot, but the story is elevated by the way Sheridan forefronts her characters’ class-consciousness. The London investors use their social status as a weapon against their lowlier employees. Richard Fry, scion of the Fry’s Chocolate dynasty, seeks to prove he’s more than a pampered rich kid by dressing down and taking walks on the wild side. Even the venerable John Murray gets a dressing-down when he dares to challenge the Establishment.
Sheridan binds together social comment, romance on the high seas, pursuit by excisemen, knife-wielding toerags in the stench of 19th-century London and the consumption of so much hot chocolate that the pages seem impregnated with its heady aroma. It all makes On Starlit Seas a pleasure to consume, and not even a guilty one.
ALASTAIR MABBOTT
On Starlit Seas by Sara Sheridan
28 July 2016 By Editor
On Starlit Seas coverInspired by the story of Maria Graham, a brilliant Georgian travel writer who was the toast of London in her day
1824 – Charged with a mission by the Empress of Brazil, celebrated writer and the toast of Georgian London, Maria Graham sets off for England with the Brazilian civil war at its height. Newly widowed and a woman travelling alone, the stakes are high and when she accepts roguish smuggler Captain James Henderson’s offer of passage on his ship, she gets more than she bargains for.
Henderson is on a journey of his own, back to his childhood home in Covent Garden. Onboard Maria discovers both a dangerous secret concealed in a chocolate bar and an irresistible attraction to the mysterious captain. But falling in love with a smuggler is almost unthinkable for a woman of Maria’s social standing. Though Henderson tries his utmost to abandon his life of crime and forge a new identity as a London gentleman, he is caught in a dangerous tangle with a deadly aristocratic smuggling ring.
The only chance he has to save himself and prove worthy of Maria is to unmask the gang and break free from their clutches, but will it be enough? On Starlit Seas is a breathless tale of adventure, love and chocolate set at the height of the British Empire.
www.sarasheridan.com
England Expects
BY SARA SHERIDAN
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In 1953, Mirabelle Bevan, ex-SOE agent, is running a debt collection agency in Brighton. She like to play detective, so when a woman asks her to recover the lost betting slips of her murdered brother, Mirabelle and her black assistant, Vesta, investigate. Mirabelle, with her helpful police friend, Superintendent McGregor, finds herself up to her neck in bodies. Is it all the work of the Masons? Can Mirabelle and McGregor ever be more than just good friends?
It’s a solid piece of detective fiction, but hardly a historical novel. Details are wrong. (“Red tops” and “dolly birds” were not terms in common use in 1953.) More significantly, there is no feel for the social realities of the time. A black woman working in 1953 Brighton would be a constant source of wonderment. Here, her colour is almost incidental. No one ever uses the N-word though this is the era of signs reading “No dogs, no blacks”. There’s a similar failure to understand the pervasiveness of sexism. Many pubs, even in the 1960s, wouldn’t serve unaccompanied women. Yet Mirabelle and Vesta simply have to put up with the odd bit of male condescension. Fun, but not history.
Operation Goodwood by Sara Sheridan
7 April 2016 By Editor
Operation Goodwood1955. Brighton. When Mirabelle Bevan is rescued from a fire at her home on the seafront she’s lucky to escape unharmed – but the blaze takes the life of her neighbour, Dougie Beaumont, a dashing and successful racing driver. It soon becomes clear that this was arson, raising questions about the young man’s death that Mirabelle can’t resist. She finds herself taking on the mysterious world of Fleet Street with its long lunches and dodgy deals as well as the glamorous motor racing world at Goodwood.
It gradually becomes clear that Dougie Beaumont’s life was not as above-board as it first seemed. He hid a myriad of secrets under the veneer of an international lifestyle. When a second shocking murder takes place, Mirabelle’s pursuit is frustrated first by Dougie’s well-connected family and then by her would-be lover Superintendent McGregor. With the help of her colleague at McGuigan & McGuigan Debt Recovery, Vesta, and some of her ex-intelligence service connections, Mirabelle discovers the dark secrets of the glamorous racing driver have ramifications far beyond the English coastline.
Operation Goodwood: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery
BY SARA SHERIDAN
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Mirabelle Bevan, head of a debt-collecting agency in 1950s Brighton, enjoys a day out to see motor racing at Goodwood with Superintendent McGregor. They are impressed by the skill of Dougie Beaumont, who is expected to surpass even the driving prowess of Stirling Moss, which, on this occasion, he does. The next scene moves on to a fire in Mirabelle’s apartment block, The Lawns, in Brighton as she awakens coughing and is rescued by a fireman but, to her horror, she recognises the body next to her on the grass outside as that of Dougie Beaumont. She discovers that he is dead but has died from hanging rather than from the effects of the fire, though it is soon revealed that he was killed and the fire started to conceal the fact. Shaken though she is, Mirabelle is soon on the trail of the killer and within days has another body to consider.
The story concerns the theme of appearance and deception as Mirabelle discovers that Dougie’s friend, George Highton, and his father, sister and brother-in-law are all concealing another lifestyle and illegal money-making activity with its centre in Kenya. Good descriptions and characterisation are key features of this story, the fifth in the series about Mirabelle and her circle, which considers the role of women in society in 1955 whilst also providing entertaining detective stories.
British Bulldog: A Mirabelle Bevan Mystery
BY SARA SHERIDAN
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British Bulldog is the fourth novel in Sara Sheridan’s mystery series. I hadn’t read any of the previous novels, but it was easy to pick up the gist of the story: in 1950s Brighton, England, Mirabelle Bevan operates a debt recovery agency, but she is not averse to taking on more interesting clients on the side. However, when a solicitor approaches her on a dark evening outside the agency, the case is personal to Mirabelle. She has been left a bequest in a will, by a man she only met twice. In order to obtain her bequest she must first find Philip Caine, a man missing since the war.
British Bulldog is described as a mystery, but as Mirabelle heads to France looking for Caine, it becomes, disappointingly, I felt, more of a spy novel. The characters, plucky Mirabelle and her stolid suitor Superintendent McGregor, were at home in a cosy mystery. But the themes introduced in France, the aftermath of the war, the fate of French women suspected of being Nazi sympathisers, and the overtones of the threat of Stalinism, are more serious. Mirabelle and the Superintendent seem both out of their depths and out of place. There is also no real sub-plot to the novel. Mirabelle is not investigating any other cases, and for most of the book she is separated from other minor characters, like her less sophisticated but determined assistant, Vesta.
The mystery itself is intriguing, and the solution intricate enough that while most readers might guess at part of the answer, it is unlikely that the whole puzzle will be apparent. I would like to go back and read the earlier Mirabelle Bevan mysteries, but only if they are, in fact, mysteries.
British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan
British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan
Category: Crime (Historical)
Rating: 5/5
Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
Reviewed by Linda Lawlor
Summary: As a decade, the fifties doesn't attract much attention from authors and scriptwriters - it's dull and grey in comparison with the vivid horrors of war and the colourful extravagance of the sixties. But World War II left a long shadow, and this, the fourth instalment in this excellent series, takes us deep into past life of ex-intelligence agent Mirabelle Bevan, and the sorrow and the blighted love she has so desperately fought to hide from public gaze soon becomes hopelessly entangled with present deaths and danger.
Buy? Yes Borrow? Yes
Pages: 320 Date: May 2015
Publisher: Polygon
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781846973253
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The adventures of Mirabelle Bevan and her team get better and better. The author, Sara Sheridan, is not afraid to portray a main character who on the surface is intelligent, urbane and controlled, but who privately feels all the uncertainties and self-doubt of a woman who lost her lover before he could keep his promise to divorce his wife. From the first volume in the series, where Jack's death left her certain her emotional life was effectively over, she has discovered that the daily challenges of her twin jobs (debt recovery and a little light sleuthing on the side) are forcing her to become once again the vibrant, passionate woman she used to be.
Daily life in the post-war years is not as prominently described in this book as in the earlier ones: rationing, while still present, is easing and fans of our doughty heroine will already be familiar with the privations regarding little luxuries like new stockings and varied menus. Casual details, like Vesta's habit of using two bars on the electric heater instead of the frugal single bar her two companions require, quickly and subtly set the scene. But even though the war has been over for years, there are still many, many mysteries to uncover – not least the fate of those who risked their lives for their country by crossing enemy lines. Were they killed and dumped in anonymous graves somewhere? Or is it possible that official records conceal more secret and potentially less honourable fates? And with those questions come others: for example, how well can you possibly know someone engaged in the machinations of the Secret Service, no matter how intimately your lives have been entwined? Was anyone truly themselves during the war?
As the book opens Mirabelle discovers she has been left a generous sum of money in the will of Major Bulldog Bradley, a man she ran into a couple of times twelve years before, on condition she agrees to track down one of his war-time associates. The hunt takes her to Paris, still terribly scarred by the Nazi occupation, and as she carries out her investigations she finds she is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about Jack, the man she loved so intensely. She meets his wife, which makes her feel all the misery and frustration of being the other woman, and there is no one she can turn to for comfort: not a single person, not even their closest friends and colleagues, knew of their affair. Once again Mirabelle is in danger and needs to employ all the tactics that stood agents in good stead during the war – skills she didn't actually use much at the time as her role was to write the handbooks and instruction manuals for spies. She is as brave and resourceful as ever, and loses nothing of her strength and courage by accepting help from an unexpected quarter when things get really dire. Mirabelle is a fascinating woman who gets more and more intriguing the more we get to know her, and readers will anxiously await the next instalment of her exploits. Unmissable!
As with all the best books, you could easily read this volume without the previous ones in the series. But there's depth and mystery in our heroine Mirabelle that you don't always find in series about private investigators, so you will gain even more from your reading by discovering how she and her team first met. Bookbag specially recommends Brighton Belle and London Calling. And if you've developed a taste for female detectives, you'll enjoy the Rizzoli and Isles series, which you may already know from your TV. We think Keeping The Dead by Tess Gerritsen will definitely be worth your attention.
Buy British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan at Amazon.co.uk.
Buy British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan at Amazon You can read more book reviews or buy British Bulldog by Sara Sheridan at Amazon.com.