My 2018 End Of Year Favourites

2018 Books, Music & T.V


For what it's worth, here's my two pennies on what I thought were high points this year. This is just a quick run through of my personal faves.

Books






13- Steve Cavanagh

 The tag line is all you need- 'The serial killer isn't on trial- he's on the jury.'
Grab yourself a copy if you're one of the few who hasn't already!

 In a House of Lies- Ian Rankin

 Rebus returns, along with your favourite Rankin characters. There's much to savour in seeing an older and failing Rebus involve himself in a tense mystery.

 Disorder- Gerard Brennan

 The prose is anything but disordered in this multi-protagonist noir. Take a hard-boiled, sometimes gritty and comical tour of the streets of Belfast.

Albums
Alice in Chains- Rainier Fog

 The grunge survivors hit back with their best album since Layne Staley's passing. A satisfying blend of big riffs and scorching harmonies.

 Walking Papers- W2

 Walking Papers somehow manage to better their unexpectedly critically lauded first album. W2 offers a classy blend of sleazy blues rock and searing ballads.

 Therapy?- Cleave

 The Norn Iron alt heroes deliver an uncompromising and rich collection. The barrage is perhaps short, but then you realise you've received a short, sharp and very pleasant battering.

T.V
The Bridge

 The final series of the dark and engaging scandi noir is just as brilliant as the previous ones. The Bridge also has my very favourite protagonist of recent years, in the incomparable Saga. 

 Killing Eve

 It took me a few minutes to work out what the tone was of this show. Is it a comedy, melodrama, serious crime thriller? It's actually all of these things and is a gripping watch from the get go.

 The Path

 The mysterious cult featured in The Path continues to grow, but not necessarily spiritually. The bold choices made for the direction of the narrative avoids repetition and provides some interesting dilemmas for the main characters.



New book- 'The Sidewinder' Out Now 





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