Jane Jakeman:

Crime fiction reviews and articles


  • "Who done it?" In: Oxford Today 1997.
  • "Historical thrillers". In: The Independent July 26, 1997.
  • "University challenge". In: The Independent August 30, 1997.
  • "More snow falling on readers". Review of R. White, Siberian Light (Michael Joseph) and K. Ekman, Under the Snow (Vintage). In: The Independent November 15, 1997.
  • "Through a glass, darkly". Review of M. Dibdin, A Long Finish (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent August 27, 1998.
  • "New British Whodunnits". In: The Independent September 5, 1998.
  • "Murder in the cathedral". Review of C. Palliser, The Unburied (Phoenix House). In: The Independent January 16, 1999.
  • "Daggers drawn as Black Leather Jackets take on the Blue Rinses". In: The Independent April 8, 1999.
  • "Murder on the moor: an inspector recalls". Review of Val McDermid, A Place of Execution (HarperCollins). In: The Independent June 19, 1999.
  • "Dark doings in ancient Rome". Review of L. Davis, One Virgin too many (Century), S. Saylor, Rubicon (Robinson) and R. Rowe, The Germanicus Mosaic (Headline). In: The Independent July 26, 1999.
  • "A medical misfit among south coast snobs". In: The Independent March 9, 2000.
  • "A head for heights, a nose for depths". Review of B. Vine, Grasshopper (Viking). In: The Independent May 20, 2000.
  • "Crimes and mysteries". In: The Independent July 8, 2000.
  • "Are male crime buffs heartless freaks?" In: The Independent July 22, 2000.
  • "Mysteries Set in France". In: Mystery Readers Journal 16 [2], Summer 2000.
  • "Prime suspects for pleasure". In: The Independent December 16, 2000.
  • [On historical crime novels] In: Solander. The Magazine of the Historical Novel Society c.2000.
  • "A dark tale of devolution and the Leith police". Review of I. Rankin, Set in Darkness (Orion). In: The Independent March 14, 2001.
  • "Tall tales in the garden of dangerous delights". In: The Independent September 16, 2000.
  • [The best crime fiction of 2000.] In: The Independent November 25, 2000.
  • "Shady tales under the sun". Review of B. Nadel, Arabesk (Headline), J. Latour, Outcast (Collins Crime) and C. Wallace, The Pirate (Flamingo). In: The Independent February 10, 2001.
  • "When dishonesty is the best policy". Review of D. Moggach, Final Demand (Heinemann). In: The Independent October 12, 2001.
  • "City of dreadful night". Review of I. Rankin, The Falls (Orion). In: The Independent March 24, 2001.
  • "If you can't stand the heat ...". In: The Independent July 28, 2001.
  • "Strangers on a train of consequences". Review of R. Rendell, Adam and Eve and Pinch me (Hutchinson). In: The Independent August 18, 2001.
  • "A crime in the neighbourhood". In: The Independent November 22, 2001.
  • Review of A. Gray, Never Somewhere Else (Canongate) and S. Booth, Blood on the Tongue (HarperCollins). In: Scotland on Sunday c.2001.
  • Review of M. Connelly, Last Light (Orion), A. Cleevees, Burial of Ghosts (Macmillan), K. Wignall, Among the Dead and D. Chavarria, Adios Muchachas (Serpent's Tail). In: Scotland on Sunday c.2001.
  • "Refuting Cornwell". In: Ripperologist 42 (August 2002), 3-6.
  • "Change of scene for Euro-coppers". Review of H. Mankell, The Dogs of Riga (Harvill) and M. Dibdin, And then you Die (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent January 19, 2002.
  • "Dalziel and Pascoe: wanted for literary murder". Review of R. Hill, Death's Jest Book (HarperCollins). In: The Independent May 31, 2002.
  • "Crime writers opt to go undercover". Review of P. Johnston, A Deeper Shade of Blue (Hodder & Stoughton) and I. Rankin, Beggars Banquet (Orion). In: Scotland on Sunday August 25, 2002.
  • "Fantasy crimes pale compared to reality". Review of Q. Jardine, Head Shot (Headline) and A. Knight, Close & Deadly. Chilling Murders in the Heart of Edinburgh (Black and White Publishing). In: Scotland on Sunday August 11, 2002.
  • Review of A. Sebold, The Lovely Bones (Picador). In: Scotland on Sunday September 8, 2002.
  • "A bier in Provence (and Sweden, and Spain ...)". In: The Independent October 12, 2002.
  • "Shanghai surprises as murder spoils the Party". Review of A. Oakes, Dragon's Eye (Dedalus). In: The Independent January 18, 2003.
  • "A week in books". In: The Independent Magazine April 4, 2003.
  • "Sébastien Japrisot. An Appreciation". In: Red Herrings May 2003.
  • "A gothic tale of mystery and imagination". Review of A. Taylor, The American Boy (Flamingo). In: The Independent July 21, 2003.
  • Review of L. Forbes, Waking Raphael (Weidenfeld and Nicolson). In: TLS October 24, 2003.
  • Review of G. Blunt, The Delicate Storm (Harpercollins). In: The Independent January 16, 2004.
  • "Tenderness and cruelty on the run". Review of J. Harvey, Flesh and Blood (Heinemann). In: The Independent May 7, 2004.
  • "Shedding light into dark corners with a twist". Review of Val McDermid, The Torment of Others (HarperCollins). In: Scotland on Sunday May 23, 2004.
  • "Reality shows". Review of A. Taylor, Call the Dying (Hodder & Stoughton) and B. Elton, Past Mortem (Bantam). In: The Independent November 12, 2004.
  • "A lurid farrago of Oriental stereotypes". Review of J.-C. Grangé, Empire of the Wolves (Harvill). In: The Independent December 17, 2004.
  • "Crime fiction". In: The Independent c.2004.
  • "An artist's chance to silence his tormentor". Review of I. Pears, The Portrait (Harperperennial). In: The Independent c.2004.
  • "Fresh Swedish air in a very English house of horrors". Review of B. Vine, The Minotaur (Viking). In: The Independent April 15, 2005.
  • "Reluctant heroine on a mission". Review of D. Mina, The Field of Blood (Bantam). In: Scotland on Sunday March 20, 2005.
  • "Strong stomach required". Review of A. Roslund & B. Hellstrom, The Beast (Little, Brown). In: The Independent June 9, 2005.
  • "Another gripping thriller from the exploits of a raunchy barrister". Review of F. Fyfield, Safer than Houses (Little, Brown). In: The Independent October 2005.
  • "Biologist turns sleuth in quest for mystery bird - and its DNA". Review of M. Davies, The Conjuror's Bird (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent October 2005.
  • "Reality bites as crime fiction goes postmodern". Review of R. Rendell. The Rottweiler (Hutchinson). In: The Independent c.2005.
  • "Mutiny, murder and poetry - a complex plot that beggars belief". Review of Val McDermid, The Grave Tattoo (HarperCollins). In: The Independent February 27, 2006.
  • "Fiends in the north". Review of A. Cleeves, Raven Black (Macmillan). In: The Independent March 31, 2006.
  • "A Cuban whodunit unfolding in a fog of corruption and cigar smoke". Review of L. Padura, Havana Black (Bitter Lemon Press). In: The Independent April 5, 2006.
  • "Happy modern families - a story of murder, mobiles and motorways". Review of A. Taylor, A Stain on the Silence (Michael Joseph). In: The Independent May 23, 2006.
  • "Four legs good, two legs bad". Review of L. Swann, Three Bags Full (Doubleday). In: The Independent June 23, 2006.
  • "A cunning chiller that unfolds amid the atmosphere of the real Provence". Review of P. Magnan, The Messenger of Death (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent August 1, 2006.
  • "A sad winter's tale that makes ideal summer reading". Review of A. Indridason, Voices (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent August 23, 2006.
  • "The climax of this royal progress was the diseased bulk of Henry VIII". Review of C. J. Sansom, Sovereign (Macmillan). In: The Independent August 28, 2006.
  • "Icy blasts from an evil past". Review of J. Nesbø, The Redbreast (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent October 6, 2006.
  • "Gruesome murder mystery mines gold in the wilds of Outer Mongolia". Review of M. Walters, The Shadow Walker (Quercus). In: The Independent November 6, 2006.
  • "Smouldering depths of supercool Swedes are exposed on murder island". Review of M. Jungstedt, Unseen (Doubleday). In: The Independent December 15, 2006.
  • "Mysteries with fogs and fangs". In: The Independent December 1, 2006.
  • Review of D. Mina, Sanctum (Bantam) and R. Rendell, The Babes in the Wood. In: Scotland on Sunday c.2006.
  • "Tales of murder and mystery in Turkey". Review of B. Akunin, Turkish Gambit (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) and B. Nadel, Deadly Web (Headline). In: The Independent c.2006.
  • "An irresistibly over-egged murder-mystery packed with wit and invention". Review of F. Vargas, Wash this Blood Clean from my Hand (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent c. 2006.
  • "Talented crime-writer lets facts about LAPD get in the way of a good story". Review of J. Wambaugh, Hollywood Station (Quercus). In: The Independent January 10, 2007.
  • "Tokyo terrors as the mask of affluence slips". Review of N. Kirino, Grotesque (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent February 9, 2007.
  • "Narrative twists form a complex kaleidoscope of crime". Review of S. Hannah, Hurting Distance (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent April 5, 2007.
  • "Two trips to murderous, magical Cuba". Review of L. Padura, Havana Blue (Bitter Lemon) and M. Montero, Dancing to 'Almendra' (Picador). In: The Independent June 22, 2007.
  • "A eunuch hero and a medieval puzzle spice up a delicious detective story". Review of J. Goodwin, The Snake Stone (Faber). In: The Independent July 31, 2007.
  • "Dangerous oranges, tarot terror and voodoo horror on Miami's mean streets". Review of N. Stone, King of Swords ((Michael Joseph). In: The Independent August 29, 2007.
  • "White suits, white faces: the Army of Reason that is eating Franfurt alive". Review of J. Arjouni, Kismet (No Exit Press). In: The Independent October 29, 2007.
  • "A demobbed psychopath meets his match in a dumb-bell twirling lesbian GP". Review of M. Walters, The Chameleon's Shadow (Macmillan). In: The Independent November 20, 2007.
  • "A cracking mystery that uses its head". Review of M. Scott, The Crystal Skull (Bantam). In: The Independent January 4, 2008.
  • "Little red book about a Chinese detective's adventures in London". Review of S. Lewis, Bad Traffic (Sort of Books). In: The Independent January 29, 2008.
  • "Another hit from the supreme exponent of the picaresque policier". Review of F. Vargas, This Night's Foul Work (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent February 26, 2008.
  • "At least six characters - and as many plots - in search of an author". Review of N. Upson, An Expert in Murder (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent March 12, 2008.
  • "Salaams for a rose-tinted romp". Review of K. Hickman, The Aviary Gate (Bloomsbury). In: The Independent April 11, 2008.
  • "The Tudor Taliban". Review of C. J. Sansom, Revelation (Macmillan). In: The Independent April 18, 2008.
  • "Echoes of Eco". Review of R. Monaldi and F. Soldi, Imprimatur (Polygon). In: TLS May 2, 2008.
  • "A good read for a journey through time, but don't expect to arrive at a conclusion". Review of K. Summerscale, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (Bloomsbury). In: The Independent July 10, 2008.
  • "Two novels, two very different brushes with an artistic MacGuffin". Review of E. Lowry, The Bellini Madonna (Quercus) and J. Goodwin, The Bellini Card (Faber). In: The Independent September 9, 2008.
  • "Blood in the snow: how the cruelty of humans leads to a monstrous revenge". Review of J. Chessex, The Vampire of Ropraz. In: The Independent October 27, 2008.
  • "A modern warning for the curious". Review of M. D'Ancona, Nothing to Fear (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent November 14, 2008.
  • "The fine art of mystery in Notting Hill". Review of R. Rendell, Portobello (Hutchinson). In: The Independent November 21, 2008.
  • "The tangled strands of a ritual killing". Review of M. Jungstedt, Unknown (Double Day). In: The Independent March 5, 2009.
  • "Horror that you couldn't make up". Review of C. Hooper, The Tall Man: Death and Life on Palm Island (Jonathan Cape). In: The Independent February 4, 2009.
  • "Bullets at the wedding". Review of M. Rees, The Samaritan's Secret (Atlantic). In: TLS February 6, 2009.
  • "The Parisian way of life - and death". Review of F. Vargas, The Chalk Circle Man (Harvill Secker). In: The Indepdendent February 18, 2009.
  • "Soft-shoe angst in the snow". Review of J. Nesbo, The Redeemer (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent March 13, 2009.
  • "Cast adrift in post-war desperation". Review of R. Heath, The Finest Type of English Womanhood (Hutchinson). In: The Independent March 19, 2009.
  • "Love and lava in a cold climate". Review of Y. Sigurdadottir, My Soul to Take (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent April 16, 2009.
  • "An inspector from the old school". Review of R. Airth, The Dead of Winter (Macmillan). In: The Independent May 21, 2009.
  • "Mysterious mix of murder and money". Review of I. Pears, Stone's Fall (Jonathan Cape). In: The Independent June 5, 2009.
  • "A tale of fiends in high places". Review of J. Geeraerts, The Public Prosecutor (Bitter Lemon). In: The Independent June 8, 2009.
  • "Modern life can be murder". Review of C. Miéville, The City and the City (Macmillan). In: The Independent June 24, 2009.
  • "A cycling psychotic is on the loose". Review of A. M. Schenkel, Ice Cold (Quercus). In: The Independent July 8, 2009.
  • "Death and detection in 1950s Cuba". Review of L. Padura, Havana Fever (Bitter Lemon). In: The Independent c. July 2009.
  • "Magical mystic is a cut above". Review of C. Cotterill, The Merry Misogynist (Quercus). In: The Independent December 8, 2009.
  • "A fresh whiff of Cologne". Review of F. Schätzing, Death and the Devil (Quercus). In: The Independent c. 2009.
  • "Fast-paced but flawed Russian tale". Review of S. Eastland, Eye of the Red Tsar (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent January 8, 2010.
  • "Death and dirty deeds dog Fair Isle". Review of A. Cleeves, Blue Lightning (Macmillan). In: The Independent February 11, 2010.
  • "A look at what lies beneath". Review of E. Griffiths, The Janus Stone (Quercus). In: The Independent February 18, 2010.
  • "A haunting portrait of murder". Review of M. Jungstedt, The Killer's Art (Doubleday). In: The Independent April 8, 2010.
  • "Mystery has Victorian values". Review of S. Hill, The Shadows in the Street (Chatto & Windus). In: The Independent May 10, 2010.
  • "Chills and thrills in Bologna". Review of B. Baraldi, The Girl with the Crystal Eyes (Maxcrime). In: The Independent June 6, 2010.
  • "Fatal games with the sandal sleuth". Review of L. Davis, Nemesis and Falco: The Official Companion (both Century). In: The Independent June 18, 2010.
  • "Crash through the barriers". Review of: L. Doughty, Whatever you Love (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent June 25, 2010.
  • "Tempted by trouble in paradise". Review of H. Nesser, The Inspector and Silence (Mantle). In: The Independent July 26, 2010.
  • "Secrets of a painful past exhumed". Review of Y. Sigurdadottir, Ashes to Dust (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent August 18, 2010.
  • "A murder in the melting pot". Review of R. Rendell, Tigerlily's Orchids (Hutchinson). In: The Independent August 20, 2010.
  • "Reality bites in this dark, vivid thriller". Review of A. M. Schenkel, Bunker (Quercus). In: The Independent September 22, 2010.
  • "Gripped by intrigue in Tudor times". Review of C. J. Sansom, Heartstone (Mantle). In: The Independent September 14, 2010.
  • "Potent mix of history and mystery". Review of A. Taylor, The Anatomy of Ghosts (Michael Joseph). In: The Independent October 5, 2010.
  • "The murderous burdens of care". Review of B. Bauer, Darkside (Bantam). In: The Independent January 14, 2011.
  • "Raising the red rag to a brutal blood sport". Reviw of J. Webster, Or the Bull Kills you (Chatto & Windus). In: The Independent January 28, 2011.
  • "Snack-loving sleuth who's all clued-up". Review of A. Cleeves, Silent Voices (Macmillan). In: The Independent February 7, 2011.
  • "Once upon a time in the East End". Review of D. Say Mitchell, Hit Girls (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent March 9, 2011.
  • "A feast for flics from feet to fangs". Review of F. Vargas, An Uncertain Place (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent April 5, 2011.
  • "A hunter who is hot on the trail". Review of M. J. McGrath, White Heat (Mantle). In: The Independent April 11, 2011.
  • "The new number one lady detective". Review of C. Cotterill, Killed at the Whim of a Hat (Quercus). In: The Independent April 25, 2011.
  • "Mr Nice investigates a nasty case". Review of H. Marks, Sympathy for the Devil (Vintage). In: The Independent May 31, 2011.
  • "A little girl, and the plot, go missing". Review of E. Speller, The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton (Virago). In: The Independent June 20, 2011.
  • "A mystery that digs deep into the past". Review of E. Kelly, The Sick Rose (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent June 27, 2011.
  • "A caring cook among the geysers". Review of A. Indridason, Outrage (Harvill Secker). In: The Independent July 1, 2011.
  • "Novel villain in literary clothing". Review of I. Stourton, The Book Lover's Tale (Doubleday). In: The Independent July 11, 2011.
  • "Murder most foul on the Bosphorus". Review of J. Goodwin, An Evil Eye (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent July 25, 2011.
  • "A cold case that's worth investigating". Review of Y. Sigurdadottir, The Day is Dark (Hodder & Stoughton). In: The Independent August 1, 2011.
  • "Capital mayhem and makeovers". Review of R. Rendell, Vault (Hutchinson). In: The Independent August 5, 2011.
  • "Fact meets fiction in a taut thriller". Review of L. Grindle, The Lost Daughter (Mantle). In: The Independent September 19, 2011.
  • Review of G. Carofiglio, Temporary Perfections (Bitter Lemon Press). In: The Independent November 1, 2011.
  • "Sense and sensibility". Review of P. D. James, Death Comes to Pemberley (Faber & Faber). In: The Independent November 4, 2011.
  • "Guido takes a giant leap for justice". Review of G. Carofiglio, A Walk in the Dark (Bitter Lemon). In: The Independent c.2011.
  • Review of S. Penney, The Invisible Ones (Quercus). In: The Independent c.2011.
  • Review of B. Bauer, Finders Keepers (Bantam). In: The Independent December 30, 2011.
  • Review of C. Womersley, Bereft (Quercus). In: The Independent January 12, 2012.
  • Review of P. Bilal, The Golden Scales (Bloomsbury). In: The Independent February 15, 2012. 
  • Review of M. Jungstedt, Dark Angel (Doubleday). In: The Independent April 5, 2012.
  • "Father, son and unholy ghosts". Review of J. Chessex, The Tyrant (Bitter Lemon Press). In: The Independent April 6, 2012. 
  • Review of D. Leon, Beastly Things (Heinemann). In: The Independent April 17, 2012.
  • Review of J. Webster, A Death in Valencia (Chatto & Windus). In: The Independent June 13, 2012.
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