Month: September 2026

Book Review: The Trouble With Sister Francis by Matt Coyne

Posted on by Libby Price

I adored Matt Coyne’s first novel, Frank & Red, and so was delighted to receive an ARC of his new book The Trouble With Sister Francis. Here’s the blurb:

“Sister Francis is an unlikely nun.
She’s sixty, sweary, drives like a lunatic and smokes like a stacked chimney . . . and she runs the Blessed Assumption Boys Club.
Richie, Bennett, Kenny and Stan are four best friends from the Whittle council estate with little to do but get up to no good. After a run-in with local bullies, they discover the crumbling, forgotten club and find themselves in the company of the most remarkable person they will ever meet.
Set against early 1980s Britain, THE TROUBLE WITH SISTER FRANCIS is a funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of unlikely heroes, quiet rebellions, fierce loyalty and unexpected hope.
And at the centre of it all lies a long-forgotten journal that might just change everything.”

The book is told from the point of view of Richie talking about his time as a young lad in the 1980s going to a local boys’ club at the local church. It’s on a run down estate – and has been restarted by the eponymous Sister Francis. Whilst helping set up the club, Richie finds a diary of a teenager called Reginald who had been evacuated to the area at the start of World War 2 – and also attended the boys’ club when it first started. You therefore get a dual timeline of activties of the club.

Richie and his friends and family are wonderfully described – as are Sister Francis and the priests at the Church. As with Frank & Red – the book also looks at intergenerational friendships and relationships in a beautiful way.

I have to say I did guess some of the twists – but in a feeling smug way – it didn’t ruin the story at all.

As with Mat Coyne’s previous book – this really was a lovely, funny, emotional read – a warm hug of a book that I would thoroughly recommend.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my ARC. It’s already out, so you can order it immediately if you like the sound of it. It would also make a perfect Christmas present for friends and family of any age.

Book Review: Death Writ Large by Susie Dent

Posted on by Libby Price

Having thoroughly enjoyed Susie Dent’s debut novel ‘Guilty By Definition‘, when I was offered an ARC of her new book, I jumped at the chance. Only when I started reading it did I realise it was an actual sequel to the previous Clarendon Lexicographers book. Here’s the blurb:

“When mysterious symbols appear as graffiti around Oxford, lexicographer Martha Thornhill recognises them from an alphabet created by a deceased writer whose papers she once worked on. But this is no publicity stunt, and tensions intensify when further graffiti is found near the body of a university lecturer.
Martha is not the only one to have doubts when the suspicious death is assumed by police to be a suicide. Called upon to lend their linguistic expertise to the case, she and her colleagues begin to unearth a tragedy that extends beyond the ancient walls of the university. As new messages portend more death, it’s clear that a spirit of vengeance is stalking the city’s streets, and may be reaching out towards them too.”

As before, each chapter starts with a word and its definition – and as previously, some I knew, and some were an education (so I could feel suitably smug if I did know it already!) This felt relevant to the storyline and not a superfluous use of unnecessary adjectives (harping back to a review of a recent book I didn’t like but won’t mention!) Susie’s style is well written, intelligent and tells an interesting story – with different arcs and back stories all cleverly intertwined.

It was great to catch up with Martha and her colleagues, family and friends. Whilst it was nice to have the prior knowledge, I do think the book would stand alone (but I would definitely recommend reading the first one anyway)

The murder mystery element of the book is intertwined with education on language and interwoven with back stories and storylines.

A thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC. It’s out now (because I’m behind in my blog posts – sorry!)