Paul Burke

An Enigma by the Sea by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini

By Paul Burke

13 February, 2026

Translated by Gregory Dowling — A lot of Italian crime fiction in English is dark, mafia-related or snowbound. Manzini, Carlotto, de Cataldo and Roberto Saviano spring to mind. The Fruttero and Lucentini novels are different, lighter, witty, slightly eccentric and colourful but no less steeped…

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On the Trail by Kerry J Donovan

By Paul Burke

26 January, 2026

Lots of authors would love to come up with the next Jack Reacher but for many it’s a bit of a long shot. However, there is plenty of room for more blistering action series that deliver the dopamine hits we thriller fans crave. Behind the…

Features

Paul Burke: Top five books of 2025

By Paul Burke

17 December, 2025

It’s always a pleasure too look back on the year and think about the reads that left a lasting impressions. I have five very different books here but they do share two things: great characters and engrossing storytelling. In 2025, Vera took a final bow…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Estella's Fury by Barbara Havelocke

By Paul Burke

1 December, 2025

Not only are the works of Charles Dickens rich in atmosphere, they’re full of unusual characters that beg further exploration. PLEASE, SIR, CAN WE HAVE SOME MORE? Barbara Havelocke is an author who has heeded the call — and then some. Estella’s Fury follows on…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan

By Paul Burke

5 November, 2025

Welcome to what has become the James Bond universe. If you think you’ve seen a lot of the characters over the years, brace yourself because it’s going to get more intense. Amazon is gearing up for the next movie and who knows a spin off…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Deadman’s Pool by Kate Rhodes

By Paul Burke

8 October, 2025

Location, location, location. Sometimes, one of the things we love about a crime novel is the unique landscape of the story. It isn’t easy making a place your own but the best authors manage to do it, creating characters synonymous with where they work, like…

Features

The 007 best spy shows to try in 2025

By Paul Burke

2 September, 2025

With season five of Slow Horses set to begin streaming on Apple TV+ from 24 September 2025, we realised that over the last few years there’s been a deluge of espionage on television and across the streaming services. For anyone who’s been bitten by the…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

The House at Devil’s Neck by Tom Mead

By Paul Burke

28 August, 2025

The influence of Golden Age mysteries on modern crime fiction is huge. Readers simply cannot get enough of the closed-circle murder mystery and the locked-room puzzle – archetypes handed down from Agatha Christie and John Dixon Carr through generations of writers to the new kids…

Crime Fiction Lover

About author

An Enigma by the Sea by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini

On the Trail by Kerry J Donovan

Paul Burke: Top five books of 2025

Estella's Fury by Barbara Havelocke

Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan

Deadman’s Pool by Kate Rhodes

The 007 best spy shows to try in 2025

The House at Devil’s Neck by Tom Mead

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Blackshore – Irish crime drama on BBC Four and iPlayer

Blackshore – Irish crime drama on BBC Four and iPlayer

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