My Top 5 February Reads

Welcome to my wrap-up of the books I read in February. Many of the eleven books I read were very good but I’m still looking for that elusive one that will absolutely blow me away and get a 5 star rating. I’m hoping the longlist for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 might provide that.

Links from each title will take you to my full review or the book description on Goodreads. (I’m behind with writing reviews!)

Check out my list of all the books I’ve read so far in 2024. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

My thanks to Head of Zeus, Elliott & Thompson and Susan Grossey for providing review copies.

The Serpent Sword by Matthew Harffy (Head of Zeus) – A first action-packed outing for Beobrand, the hero of the author’s ‘Bernicia Chronicles’ series set in 7th century Anglo-Saxon Britain

The Shadow Network by Tony Kent (Elliott & Thompson) – The epitome of a page-turning thriller, with a storyline that cleverly reflects contemporary events

Notes of Change by Susan Grossey – The seventh book in the author’s historical crime series set in early 19th century London in which magistrate’s constable, Sam Plank, investigates an increasingly complex case and ponders his future

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (Picador) – The tender story of the friendship that forms between elderly widow, Addie and her neighbour, Louis

The Madras Miasma by Brian Stoddart – Atmospheric and intriguing historical crime mystery set in 1920s Madras

What were the best books you read last month? Have you read any of my picks?