Merak Magazine

Kathy Branfield

Kathy Branfield

I am an enthusiastic reader and I enjoy reading many different genres. I am a full-time book reviewer and I opened Book Reviews & More by Kathy in 2011. In my spare time, I enjoy crafting, traveling and photography.

The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer

The Cutting Room by Ashley Dyer is a multi-layered, spellbinding mystery. This second instalment in the Carver and Lake series can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend book one, Splinter in the Blood, as well. DCI Greg Carver is still on restricted…

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham

Good Girl, Bad Girl by Michael Robotham is an absorbing, character driven mystery that features a  multifaceted storyline. Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven is assisting with an upcoming court case to see if Evie Cormac is ready to transition to living on her own.…

The Passengers by John Marrs

The Passengers by John Marrs is a futuristic, science fiction technothriller that is absolutely mesmerising. Sometime in the near future, driverless cars are now mandated in Britain. The public has been reassured these cars are not only hacker proof but will save lives…

The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney

The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney is a mesmerising novel that is part science fiction,  part mystery and completely enthralling.  Confession time: I am not a sci-fi fan but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this domestic mystery. Tim Scott is a Silicon Valley billionaire whose tech…

After the End by Clare Mackintosh

After the End by Clare Mackintosh is a captivating, poignant novel. Pip and Max Adams have been happily married for several years when an unimaginable diagnosis turns their world upside side. Their 2 year old son Dylan has a brain tumour and he…

One Minute Later by Susan Lewis

One Minute Later by Susan Lewis is a poignant novel that also shines a very important light on organ donation. On her twenty-seventh birthday, Vivienne “Vivi” Shager’s life forever changes after she has a heart attack. Instead of remaining in London where she…

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

Resistance Women is a well-researched, compelling novel that details life in Germany from the late 1920s through World War II. Since most World War II novels mainly take place during the war, Jennifer Chiaverini’s newest release offers a unique but insightful look into…

The Favourite Daughter by Kaira Rouda

The Favourite Daughter by Kaira Rouda is a deliciously diabolical mystery that is also rather suspenseful. One year following the death of her oldest daughter, Mary, Jane Harris is ready to reclaim her life. Her youngest daughter, Betsy is on the verge of…

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner is a poignant, informative novel that highlights a little mentioned, shameful  piece of American history. In 1943, fourteen year old Elise Sontag, her younger brother Max and her German immigrant parents’ peaceful life in…

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Alternating back and forth in time, Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is a heart wrenching fictionalized account of the horrifying real-life adoption scandal involving Georgia Tate and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. In 1939, the Foss children are unscrupulously removed from their…