Bev C. Harris (Author of Conspiracy of Cats)

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw This is the story of Cacilie Bertha Ringer who grew up to marry Karl Benz, inventor of the Motorwagen, first patented in 1886. This was also the year he first drove it. However, that drive was a short journey about ...more
Apr 24, 2025 04:03AM · like · see review
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing Billy Summers by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Billy Summers by Stephen King I haven’t bought/read a Stephen King book since Needful Things was released in 1991. I grew out of the clown, the car, and the unforgettable Carrie. I didn’t think about him or his books. Then, four years ago, I set up a ...more
Apr 23, 2025 03:00AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Billy Summers by Stephen King. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Billy Summers by Stephen King <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing The Evil Within (Dark Devon Mysteries, #1) by S.M. Hardy	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Evil Within by S M Hardy After the sudden death of his fiancée, London banker Jim Hawkes has a crisis of conscience. He packs in his job and seeks the tranquillity of a coastal village in Devon. But he gets a lot more than he bargained for, becaus ...more
Feb 25, 2025 11:04AM · like · see review
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing Big Sky (Jackson Brodie, #5) by Kate Atkinson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
‘Big Sky’ by Kate Atkinson Picture it; the big blue summer skies linking Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington. Sparkling waters, fish ‘n’ chips, amusement arcades and tourist traps. You can almost smell the salty fresh air. But don’t breathe it in too ...more
Jan 21, 2025 12:27PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Big Sky by Kate Atkinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Big Sky by Kate Atkinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris rated a book did not like it Calixta, The Vanquishers of Alhambra, A Grimdark Fantasy by Omayra Vélez (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 06, 2025 07:48AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Calixta, The Vanquishers of Alhambra, A Grimdark Fantasy by Omayra Vélez. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Calixta, The Vanquishers of Alhambra, A Grimdark Fantasy by Omayra Vélez <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing The Birdcage by Eve Chase	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Birdcage by Eve Chase. This is a story to dive into, like the waves crashing against the Cornish beach below Rock Point, windswept summer home of the Finch family. Split between events surrounding the August 1999 solar eclipse, and Jan 2019 when t ...more
Jul 13, 2024 04:56AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Birdcage by Eve Chase. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Birdcage by Eve Chase <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris has read The Kindness of Psychopaths by Alan Gorevan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 21, 2023 09:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Kindness of Psychopaths by Alan Gorevan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Kindness of Psychopaths by Alan Gorevan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman London, early morning, commuters, the homeless, dog walkers, shift workers and people out and about heading to work, school and hospital appointments, all converge on a café close to a tube station. A young m ...more
Oct 27, 2023 03:38AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan Who doesn’t love a book club? And who isn’t thrilled by the idea of a murder or three? If you also love the idea of murder among the book club members, then The Book Club Murders is the book for you. I’m a big fan ...more
Oct 27, 2023 03:02AM · 2 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bev Harris liked Daniel Stewart's review of Making Sacrifices: "Having read this author’s first book, I was unsure whether to risk buying the second offering, because second books can be a bit like second albums; dodgy. Glad to say this is not the case with Making Sacrifices. A bit of a slow burner from the outse" Read more of this review »
Oct 07, 2023 05:35AM · see review

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

The Woman at the Wheel
by Penny Haw (Goodreads Author)

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The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw

This is the story of Cacilie Bertha Ringer who grew up to marry Karl Benz, inventor of the Motorwagen, first patented in 1886. This was also the year he first drove it. However, that drive was a short journey about The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw

This is the story of Cacilie Bertha Ringer who grew up to marry Karl Benz, inventor of the Motorwagen, first patented in 1886. This was also the year he first drove it. However, that drive was a short journey about town, and no one took him at all seriously. Why would they? Everyone was happy with travel using actual horsepower, because horses were both reliable as well as able to cover long distances.
Karl Benz was a mechanical engineer to trade, inventing tools as well as labour saving machines. The Motorwagen was his dream, his life’s work. He initially co-owned a foundry and iron works. But his business partner was a bit of an arse, and the company would’ve folded were it not for his fiancée, Bertha, who persuaded her father to give her the dowry early, which allowed her to buy the partner’s half of the firm.
Bertha wasn’t ever suited to the expected female role of the time. She was properly educated, intelligent and curious. She understood the world beyond embroidery. Her parents nevertheless did their best to find her an affluent suitor, but Bertha was having none of that. She was twenty years old and stubbornly unattached when she finally met Karl in 1870.
They met on the way to a picnic, and he responded to her as an equal during their conversations, sharing his ideas as well as his thoughts. Karl continued to listen to Bertha and even sought her advice on occasion. He lacked business acumen, but she more than made up for that. They married in 1872, and, with Betha’s support, Karl slowly built up a decent reputation. Though they were often quite poor in financial terms, they were eventually comfortably off. If only people would take Karl’s biggest dream seriously.
But no one was interested in the Motorwagen. It was noisy and had no proven reliability. Even Karl’s investors of the time would not allow him space in their new factory, or support staff to continue with his tinkering. So, the Motorwagen largely stayed inside the old foundry that just happened to be next door to the Benz family home. Knowing what needed to be done and understanding that her husband could not risk his own livelihood and reputation pursuing a trip into the unknown, Bertha took matters into her own hands.
On the 5th of August 1888, Bertha Benz set off on a 105km drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim. She took her sons Richard and Eugen who were thirteen and fifteen years old. Their dog also went along. She didn’t tell her husband and didn’t bother getting permission from the progress resistant authorities of the time. She just got on with it.
The Woman at the Wheel is a factual account of the determined and resourceful Bertha Benz, brought to life in a fascinating and entertaining read which spans her life, her family and her relationships. The story culminates in a detailed account of that first long-distance drive in a car that had to be pushed up some of the hills they encountered. Its brakes were covered in cow hide and had to be replaced several times on route. Other modifications to the engine were also required, and Bertha took it all in her stride. If you like driving, you’ll probably enjoy discovering her story. An amazing woman and an amazing journey. ...more

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

Billy Summers
by Stephen King (Goodreads Author)

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Billy Summers by Stephen King

I haven’t bought/read a Stephen King book since Needful Things was released in 1991. I grew out of the clown, the car, and the unforgettable Carrie. I didn’t think about him or his books. Then, four years ago, I set up a Billy Summers by Stephen King

I haven’t bought/read a Stephen King book since Needful Things was released in 1991. I grew out of the clown, the car, and the unforgettable Carrie. I didn’t think about him or his books. Then, four years ago, I set up a Twitter account, joined the writing community and discovered that Mr. King has been prolific in my absence. 65 books to date! Needless to say, I was curious. Thirty years had passed. Seemed obvious that writing would have evolved along with the man. My problem then was… where do I start?
The solution presented itself when I found myself in the second-hand section of my local bookshop holding a copy of Billy Summers. I started reading it as soon as I got home, and was drawn into the tale within the first few pages. The writing is confident, almost laid back. A bit like the real Billy Summers. A hit man who only kills bad people.
A highly intelligent, well organised hitman with enough notches on the butt of his rifle to understand the dangers of tempting fate during this final job, but Summers lets the world think he’s a bit thick. That way no one sees him coming. Even those known to Summers for decades only think they know him.
He knows much more about the men setting him up with a cover, a place to live and a place to wait for the big day. But he doesn’t trust them. Summers doesn’t trust anyone or anything beyond his own instincts, and that instinct keeps telling him to walk away. But the pay day will set him up for the rest of his life. So, even though he doesn’t know who’s paying the fee, he agrees to do the job.
After, despite post-hit provisions made by his contacts, Billy makes his own arrangements and we’re only around a third of the way through the book. What happens next is the essence of the story of Billy Summers, his true character teased out by someone fate tosses into the mix, and all seamlessly merged with his backstory as we head far away from the scene. We even find ourselves standing high up on a Colorado mountainside, across the valley from the burnt out remains of The Overlook Hotel. A nod to my all-time favourite Stephen King novel. Are the topiary animals in that painting really getting closer?
Billy Summers easily became a modern favourite, and I look forward to reading more. ...more

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

The Evil Within (Dark Devon Mysteries, #1)
by S.M. Hardy

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The Evil Within by S M Hardy

After the sudden death of his fiancée, London banker Jim Hawkes has a crisis of conscience. He packs in his job and seeks the tranquillity of a coastal village in Devon. But he gets a lot more than he bargained for, becaus The Evil Within by S M Hardy

After the sudden death of his fiancée, London banker Jim Hawkes has a crisis of conscience. He packs in his job and seeks the tranquillity of a coastal village in Devon. But he gets a lot more than he bargained for, because unresolved historical events find him as soon as he moves in.
The death of a child has left its mark on the entire village, but never more than inside the cottage Jim has rented, because this is where the child died. Noises in the attic, fleeting glimpses in the gardens, the sound of a child’s giggle. Jim thinks he’s going bonkers. In an effort to get some perspective he takes himself off to the pub for a drink with Jed, the man who maintains the cottage for the letting agency.
Jed is the source of a lot of local information as well as the suggestion that Jim, like Jed, has ‘second site’, an idea backed up by Jed’s friend Emma. These two long time residents of the village reveal that there have been a string of unsolved murders in the area, going back many years.
Jim has trouble accepting his own abilities, but overcomes his scepticism thanks to increasingly regular sightings of Krystal the child who died in the cottage. An accidental death as far as the authorities are concerned, but what if she was another victim of the unknown killer? Krystal is undoubtedly reaching out to him, but what if she needs Jim to solve her murder so she can move on? At great risk to himself, Jim sets out to unmask the killer.
This is a slow and steady, tension ratcheting, traditional ghost story cum murder mystery. My two favourite genres! I found it to be creepy and atmospheric, with just enough in the way of thrills to keep me reading. I read the last half of the story well into the night, because I genuinely couldn’t put it down. I also didn’t have much of a clue who the killer was until the ending was in sight. Then, when I got there… and discovered the nice little twist, I was comforted knowing that there’s a direct follow up. A second ‘Dark Devon Mystery’ awaits and I can’t wait to dive in. ...more

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

Big Sky (Jackson Brodie, #5)
by Kate Atkinson

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‘Big Sky’ by Kate Atkinson

Picture it; the big blue summer skies linking Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington. Sparkling waters, fish ‘n’ chips, amusement arcades and tourist traps. You can almost smell the salty fresh air.
But don’t breathe it in too ...more

Bev Harris rated a book did not like it

Calixta, The Vanquishers of Alhambra, A Grimdark Fantasy
by Omayra Vélez (Goodreads Author)

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Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

The Birdcage
by Eve Chase

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The Birdcage by Eve Chase.

This is a story to dive into, like the waves crashing against the Cornish beach below Rock Point, windswept summer home of the Finch family. Split between events surrounding the August 1999 solar eclipse, and Jan 2019 when t ...more

Bev Harris has read

The Kindness of Psychopaths
by Alan Gorevan (Goodreads Author)

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Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

The Secrets of Strangers
by Charity Norman (Goodreads Author)

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The Secrets of Strangers by Charity Norman

London, early morning, commuters, the homeless, dog walkers, shift workers and people out and about heading to work, school and hospital appointments, all converge on a café close to a tube station. A young m ...more

Bev Harris rated a book it was amazing

The Book Club Murders
by Alan Gorevan (Goodreads Author)

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The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan
Who doesn’t love a book club? And who isn’t thrilled by the idea of a murder or three? If you also love the idea of murder among the book club members, then The Book Club Murders is the book for you.

I’m a big fan The Book Club Murders by Alan Gorevan
Who doesn’t love a book club? And who isn’t thrilled by the idea of a murder or three? If you also love the idea of murder among the book club members, then The Book Club Murders is the book for you.

I’m a big fan of Gorevan’s work. Normally short sharp shockers, but this one is meatier at over 300 pages. Once again short chapters, so easy to pick up and put down if you’re busy… or just keep reading as you get pulled deeper into the story. Once again doing it for Failte Ireland, and making me wish there was an Alan Gorevan Literary Tour so I could visit all the scenes of these fictitious crimes.

This one is set in Dun Laoghaire near Dublin (and thankfully the correct pronunciation is featured early on), and we join skinny and ill Izzy as she arrives at a house inherited from her aunt having just escaped a controlling relationship.

Or has she?

When your nasty ex is banging on the door and refusing to take no for the answer, a cosy book club in the home of a nice local woman seems like the ideal place to take a much needed breather. Members include the nice woman who also happens to be an unemployed architect… her husband is fond letting his dog shit in another book club member’s garden. There’s the failed actress whose husband is soon to be her wife, and the legal eagle whose husband is a bit of a dodo. Then there’s the hair stylist and social influencer with a hipster for a husband; they have plenty time for photo shoots but no time for each other. Finally there’s the local mother and daughter Olympic standard gossip team.

Circling the not so cosy book club is the psycho ex, several of the above husbands, a loan shark, and three generations of a Chinese family who provide healing herbs for Izzy’s medical issues as well as much needed support when things go pear shaped.

All these characters, each with their own backstories as well as their involvement in the plot, could easily have confused things. But the writing is clear and concise, leaving plenty of scope for the plot to develop. Murder, arson, jealousy, adultery and secrets discovered in old diaries; it all in here, and all set by the seaside. Great fun and a great read. Highly recommended. ...more

Bev Harris liked Daniel Stewart's review of Making Sacrifices:

"Having read this author’s first book, I was unsure whether to risk buying the second offering, because second books can be a bit like second albums; dodgy. Glad to say this is not the case with Making Sacrifices. A bit of a slow burner from the outse" Read more of this review »

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