Competitions to win copies of The Lost Passenger, Knife Skills for Beginners, Murder Below Deck and On the Grid
Janet Gordon, who lives in Takeley, reviews best-sellers and debut fiction for the Indie
The Lost Passenger by Frances Quinn (Simon & Schuster £18.99)
Many, many moons ago, I was living with my ex and he decided to collect Titanic memorabilia – more specifically, newspapers relating to the Titanic. And I remember he had an original copy of The Times from April 15, 1912, which lived in a suitcase under our bed.
When we divorced, I have no idea what happened to the newspaper. Who knows, maybe I used it to wrap up some of my belongings when I moved out!
The Lost Passenger is the tale of Elinor Hayward, who can’t believe the invitation she’s received – a “stiffy” to a ball at the house of Lord and Lady Burnham.
Elinor, whose mother died when she was young, and her father don’t move in those circles. Granted, the Haywards have money as her dad is a mill owner known as the Cotton King, blunt of thought and word, and Elinor is well used to running the house. But Lord and Lady Burnham, that is simply a different class.
Elinor’s dad won’t hear of Elinor not attending the ball and it is there she meets Frederick Coombes, heir to the Storton estate. Of course, the inevitable happens. Inexperienced, Elinor is wooed and won by Frederick until she discovers that, really, Frederick’s mother runs the estate and Elinor is only of use for her money and, of course, to beget an heir, which she duly does.
Keeping her own counsel, Elinor is deeply, truly unhappy, unable to even look after her son, apart from when the nanny brings him down from the nursery for 30 minutes each day. But she never tells her dad.
When all the hype starts about the most luxurious ship that has ever been built, the Cotton King decides to treat Elinor, her baby son and husband by purchasing the most luxurious suite the Titanic can offer - and also to join them.
And then, as we all know, the Titanic sinks. Elinor and her baby survive, but it’s what happens prior to their boarding and the way in which indomitable Elinor survives in New York that makes for a wonderful, atmospheric and absorbing story. I absolutely adored it.
COMPETITION
The Indie has a copy of The Lost Passenger to be won, courtesy of Simon & Schuster. To be in with a chance, simply answer this question. In which year did the Titanic sink? Was it a) 1912, b) 1922 or c) 1932.
Send your entries to The Lost Passenger Competition, Bishop’s Stortford Independent, 7 Palmers Lane, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3XB or email letters@stortfordindie.co.uk with ‘The Lost Passenger Competition’ in the subject line.
Entries close at 5pm on Wednesday March 12, 2025. Please include your address in your competition entry.
Knife Skills for Beginners (Penguin £8.99) and Murder Below Deck (Penguin £16.99) by Orlando Murrin
Foodies may well recognise the name Orlando Murrin. He’s been a semi-finalist on MasterChef, has written six best-selling cookery books, has edited BBC Good Food and Woman & Home and founded olive magazine.
Now, drawing on all those skills, he’s written his debut novel and a follow-up featuring Paul Delamare, a jobbing chef trained in the old school of cheffing.
In Knife Skills for Beginners, Delamare is coerced into running a week-long cookery course in a posh house in Belgravia after Christian, the original chef and a long-time friend, breaks his arm.
However, Christian is found murdered on the first night of the course and Delamare seems to be a suspect.
What follows next is such an entertaining, cosy mix of Christie-esque criminology, cookery, and crimebusting – not to mention product placements – that I can envisage this as a real TV series, sponsored by any one of the products Murrin mentions.
I’m just about to start Murder Below Deck, which has Delamare forced into accompanying a friend on a luxury cruise – oh dear, what a hardship!
All is going well until a priceless necklace is stolen and all are under suspicion. And then a passenger is found dead in, of course, suspicious circumstances.
I’m so looking forward to reading this.
COMPETITION
One Indie reader can win copies of both books, courtesy of Penguin. To be in with a chance, simply answer this question. On which TV show was Orlando Murrin a semi-finalist? Was it a) The Great British Bake Off, b) MasterChef or c) Great British Menu.
Send your entries to Orlando Murrin Competition, Bishop’s Stortford Independent, 7 Palmers Lane, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3XB or email letters@stortfordindie.co.uk with ‘Orlando Murrin Competition’ in the subject line.
Entries close at 5pm on Wednesday March 12, 2025. Please include your address in your competition entry.
The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder (Pan Macmillan £9.99) and The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea (Pan Macmillan £18.99) by C. L. Miller
Yet another entrant into the cosy crime stakes and this time it’s antique expert C. L. Miller, who is the daughter of acclaimed expert Judith Miller, she of the Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide.
Freya and her aunt Carol, from the Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency, are asked to investigate the disappearance of a painting from a maritime museum. Following the leads, the discovery of a dead body takes them on a luxurious cruise in the Red Sea.
But with the discovery that the art gallery aboard the ship is stuffed with forgeries of all kinds, and the Collector determined to do all he/she can do to stop the duo, life suddenly becomes very hairy.
The first in the series has Freya avoiding the Suffolk village she grew up in, until the death of her mentor, a well-known antiques dealer, forces her to rethink.
A brilliant addition to the cosy crimes stakes with lots of insider tips.
The Lollipop Man by Daniel Sellers (Allison & Busby £22)
Already a Kindle best-seller with the Lola Harris mysteries, Daniel Sellers has joined publishers Allison & Busby with The Lollipop Man, which is set in the heart of Yorkshire Ripper land.
It’s 1994 and 18-year-old Adrian Brown spends his days boring himself silly at the local newspaper - I’m sure that’s not the case with the guys at the Indie! - and his evenings in the local pub.
But he wasn’t always a boring guy. When he was 10, Adrian was kidnapped by the Lollipop Man, who had taken three children previously. Adrian was the only one to escape and survive.
That was all anyone ever heard of the Lollipop Man. Did he die? End up in prison? What happened?
But then another child is abducted and the press shout out that the Lollipop Man has resurfaced. Investigative reporter Sheila Hargraves, who reported on the original abductions, is troubled and decides to investigate further, desperate to atone for mistakes made in that investigation.
And is Adrian who he appears to be?
On the Grid by Luke Smith (Simon & Schuster £22)
Back in the olden days (late 1960s-early 1970s, since you’re asking) I used to work for Les Leston, a well-known former racing driver who turned his passion for speed into a motor racing accessory empire. Les also invented the Nomex flameproof racing suit having escaped from a potential fireball in a high-speed crash.
Best friends with all the F1 drivers of the day, one of Les’ accessories shops, along with his manufacturing outlet, was in north London. Graham Hill was a frequent visitor and, because we lived near each other, he used to let me drive his car home to my house, teaching me to drive and then carrying on to his home.
Once I’d passed my test, Les bought me my first car, a turquoise Mini Cooper, with an original deep-dish turquoise steering wheel and matching gear stick. How I loved that car.
On weekends when there was racing at Brands Hatch, I’d take the company van which opened up into a shop, park by the track and sell all of Les’ accessories.
I’ve never really lost my love for F1, although it’s so very different from the way it was back then. Obviously far, far safer, but aren’t the pit changes impressive?
Luke Smith is one of the foremost F1 journalists and On the Grid is a wonderful inside look at the whole shebang that goes to make those elite F1 drivers - the mechanics, the latest technology, the risks and dangers. And, of course, the fast-living ladies who cluster around the drivers - that certainly hasn’t changed.
Luke’s love of F1 was inspired by his mother and there are poignant chapters where he talks about his mum and her death.
COMPETITION
One Indie reader can win a copy of On the Grid, courtesy of Simon & Schuster. To be in with a chance, simply answer this question. Which former racing driver did Janet used to work for? Was it a) Nigel Mansell, b) Stirling Moss or c) Les Leston.
Send your entries to On the Grid Competition, Bishop’s Stortford Independent, 7 Palmers Lane, Bishop’s Stortford CM23 3XB or email letters@stortfordindie.co.uk with ‘On the Grid Competition’ in the subject line.
Entries close at 5pm on Wednesday March 12, 2025. Please include your address in your competition entry.
