Tag: Rebellious Spirits

Daniel Smith – The Ardlamont Mystery | Review

April 1, 2020
Authors P-T (By Surname)Non-Fiction

Title: The Ardlamont Mystery

Author: Daniel Smith

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 258

Rating: 3.5/5

This was a delightfully different kind of book, a non-fiction piece that looked into a real life mystery while showing how it led to the creation of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It’s a story that I was previously only vaguely aware of, and so it was a pleasure to read about what actually led to the creation of literature’s greatest detective.

What’s cool is that this is a beautiful little hardback with a stunning interior layout and a genuinely well-written non-fiction narrative. It’s basically true crime mixed with geeky stuff for Sherlock Holmes fans, and so if either of those things float your boat then you’re probably going to like it.

I’ve had this sitting around for a little while now and I’m not sure why it took me so long to get to it. When I finally picked it up, I got hooked, and I think it’s the non-fiction book that I’ve enjoyed the most since I got to Rebellious Spirits by Ruth Ball a year or so ago. But then I’m probably forgetting something.

So all in all, I’d definitely recommend this one if you’re into Sherlock Holmes or into true crime, because this has a lot of both. It’s also just a well-written non-fiction book in general. It’s the perfect subject matter and a great delivery and overall, just a good book. There’s a lot that I like here, so there’s that.

Learn more about The Ardlamont Mystery.

Ruth Ball – Rebellious Spirits | Review

March 2, 2019
Authors A-E (By Surname)Non-Fiction

Title: Rebellious Spirits

Author: Ruth Ball

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 262

Rating 4/5

 

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

If I have one piece of advice going into this book, it’s for you to stick with it. That’s because I wasn’t too convinced by the first twenty pages and so I switched it out and made it my “bedtime book”, which means I decided to get through it bit by bit before going to sleep. Then I actually picked it up and enjoyed it so much that I switched it out as my main book and ended up reading it in a day.

It’s basically just what it claims to be: the true story of smugglers, illegal brewers and other “audacious tales of drinking on the wrong side of the law”. It’s well-written and well-researched and while I did spot a couple of typos, I could live with them. In fact, I thought the overall editing was pretty tight apart from that, and it certainly didn’t make it any less of a book. Even the cover is excellent.

So all in all, whether you’re a drinker or not, I’d definitely suggest giving this one a go. I particularly liked the way that it took us through British history, making it easy to understand the different laws and taxes and the effect that they had on the average man on the street. Ball also includes the true stories of literally hundreds of different people from both sides of the law, and she stays neutral throughout, which is what you need from non-fiction. Good stuff!

 

 

Click here to buy Rebellious Spirits.