Quick Book Reviews with Philippa Hall

By Philippa Hall

Thousands of books. No time to waste. No spoilers. Ever. Quick Book Reviews — your twice-weekly reading companion with host Philippa Hall

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The podcast currently has 495 episodes available.

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Number 1: SUMMER SPECIAL: Lee Child on Jack Reacher, AI & Reading in Prisons
Philippa is joined by the legendary Lee Child — creator of Jack Reacher, published in over 120 countries with more than 40 million books sold — for this summer special. They cover holidays, the Reacher handover to brother Andrew Child, artificial intelligence, and why literacy in prisons matters more than you might think. ☀️ Holiday Chat Lee hasn't had a proper holiday in 10 years — when you've been on 70 planes in a single year, home starts to look like a very good option. He and Philippa discuss:Why 40% writing and 60% promotion means travel has lost its appealDream holiday: two weeks in Antigua with a book a day plus a 25% margin for ones he doesn't get on withThe accidental best holiday of his life — a British Airways voucher, a paper ticket, a pilot who said "you're here, let's go," and a tiny Cessna to an almost uninhabited Bahamian islandThe villa in Tobago that promised a cook and delivered disappointmentThe Soviet Union trip he always wanted but never took — and why a Russian jail would be his true holiday nightmareReading on the beach with the "commentary track" switched on — and the moment in Seven that made him think "they wouldn't dare" and then they did🎙️ Jack Reacher: Exit Strategy & Chain Reaction Lee explains the creative handover to his brother Andrew Child, why it was never really a handover at all, and how the two of them have always been on the same wavelength — sometimes literally finishing each other's sentences about Russian oligarchs falling from windows. They discuss:How Andrew is now doing "all the hard work" while Lee does "the fun work" — which is just talkingWhy Lee stopped writing when he felt he was running out of gas, and why he'd rather stop than phone it inThe brilliant passive opening of Exit Strategy — a note slipped into Reacher's pocket in a coffee shopWhy Reacher works as a proxy for every reader who's ever wanted to help but couldn'tChain Reaction (out 20th October): a tech town, solar farms, data centres, and Reacher's feelings about the world's first trillionairesAndrew's two contributions to the reset: more Reacher dialogue, and dragging him slightly further into the modern world📚 Literacy, Prisons & Why Reading Saves Lives Lee talks about his prison literacy work and his involvement with The Queen's Reading Room — and the research showing that just five minutes of reading reduces stress hormones by 20%. Plus why Quick Reads matter, why TV adaptations are a brilliant way in for reluctant readers, and why some women end up in prison simply because they couldn't read an official letter. 🍦 Ice Cream Order Vanilla, in a bowl, with hot fudge sauce — slightly melty — and yes, a 99 Flake if one's going. 💬 Get in touch Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | [email protected] Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 17, 202640min
Number 2: Why Isn't Everybody Talking About This Crime Author? My Holiday Top 8
Philippa is back from holiday — and the books made it to Rhodes eventually, after a handwritten letter to Athens customs explaining why a normal person would post books to themselves. Today she's sharing her top eight reads from the trip, spanning crime, horror, graphic novels, historical fiction, and AI thrillers. All different. All five stars. The Top 8 Holiday Reads (in reverse order) 8. Under the Hammer – Samantha Dooey Miles A woman whose landlord has a fatal accident discovers her life's mission: punishing as many landlords as possible, starting with the ones she's spotted on a home improvement TV show. Sharp, witty, and wickedly entertaining. 7. Splasher – Billie Host Bought at Imagine Things bookshop in Harrogate. A swim coach returns to Richardson University a decade after tragedy struck — and on the first day of training, two students are found dead in the pool. Funny horror, perfectly read beside a swimming pool. 6. The Confessions – Paul Bradley Carr AI bot Liam powers society — until he goes offline. Then identical white envelopes start arriving at people's houses, confessing their darkest secrets. Dystopian, clever, and full of unexpected turns. Philippa was audibly groaning with delight. Joint 4th. The Scandalous Ladies Football Club – Frances Quinn London, 1897. A schoolteacher places a newspaper ad asking for volunteers for the first ever women's football team. Philippa was so engrossed she propped the book up at the edge of the private pool and swam on the spot while reading it. Auto-buy author. Frances Quinn joins the podcast soon. Joint 4th. Roman Mornings – Matson Taylor Rome, 1952. A young English woman arrives full of idealism. By 1976, she's wilting — until a chance encounter with a young carpenter changes everything. A celebration of friendship, identity, and the eternal city. Mattson Taylor joins the podcast over Christmas. 3rd. The Corfe Castle Murders – Rachel McLean DCI Leslie Clark is transferred to rural Dorset after being injured in a bomb attack — and before she's even started, she's investigating a murder at Corfe Castle. Book one of a long series. Philippa loved it and wants the next one immediately. 2nd. The Bad Doctor – Ian Williams A graphic novel following a rural GP whose patients cause equal measures of empathy and dismay. Funny, serious, and with mental health storylines that Philippa found astonishing. Highly recommended as a first graphic novel for anyone curious about the format. Found at Hay-on-Wye Comics. 1st. Better Off Dead – Sean Watkin The second DCI De Silva and DS Barkley novel — and Philippa's undisputed book of the holiday. She was so immersed she didn't realise she was mouthing the words as she read. A cold case, a dismembered body in the Formby woods, and a duo who can't trust anyone around them. The third book in the series is already pre-ordered. The first is Black Water Rising. Auto-buy author who Philippa insists needs to be on every crime reader's radar immediately. Get in touch Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | [email protected] Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 11, 202626min
Number 3: C.J. Tudor on Serenity Falls, Creepy Disney Towns & the Smell of Buttered Popcorn
Philippa reviews four books — including two she couldn't wait to tell you about — before a wonderful, wide-ranging conversation with C.J. Tudor about her latest novel Serenity Falls, out 10th September, the book she needed to write after the hardest year of her life. 📚 Four Book Reviews One of Us is Guilty – Steve Cavanagh The 10th Eddie Flynn case finds con-man-turned-lawyer Eddie investigating a brutal murder with only two suspects — and one of them is guilty. Philippa loves everything Steve Cavanagh writes, and this is no exception. The Silent Appeal – Janice Hallett The Fairway Players are back, rehearsing Agatha Christie's The Hollow, and someone isn't going to make it to opening night. Lawyers Charlotte and Femi must sift through the evidence once again in what Philippa considers one of her favourite Hallett books yet. A Stranger in Corfu – Alex Preston Former MI6 operatives, exiled to a Greek island to be forgotten, find their uneasy peace shattered when one of their own washes up dead. Beautifully written, thoughtful, and atmospheric — blurbed as "Le Carré meets the Durrells," which Philippa thinks is entirely fair. Signals: The Inside Story of Our Hormones – Dr. Saira Hameed A fascinating nonfiction exploration of how hormones shape everything from our health to our eating habits — told through real patient cases. Philippa went to hear the author speak, bought the book immediately, got it signed, and then went straight out for a double chocolate cookie. Blame the ancestors. C.J. Tudor on Serenity Falls Dan and his teenage daughter Sadie arrive at their mysterious inheritance in Serenity Falls — a picture-perfect Disney-style town in Florida — only to find a body in the swimming pool, dressed as a cartoon character, on day one. Things don't get more normal from there. Inspired by Celebration, the real Disney-built town near Orlando, Caz and Philippa discuss: Why the idea of a perfect, theme-park-adjacent town is inherently sinister — and what happens when you actually go and visit oneHow the creepy ice cream van started as a small detail and grew into a major character and the cover imageWriting Serenity Falls — and why she needed a new idea to fall in love with before she could write againWhy this is perhaps her least horror-y book, but also her most uncanny — and what the word "uncanny" really means in a C.J. Tudor contextThe dark humor running through the book, and why Sadie is one of her favourite characters she's ever writtenTV developments, the patience required to wait for news, and why she's learned not to get too excited too earlyHer next book The Last Caretaker — currently being written, out autumn 2027What she's looking forward to reading: The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer, which arrived as a lovely exchange for a quote on Serenity FallsTen years since her publishing deal — and why it's worth stopping to appreciate how far you've comeIf Serenity Falls had a smell: Buttered popcorn. Lovely at first. Overwhelming very quickly. Which is, she immediately agreed, the whole vibe. Biscuit answer: Pick and mix for writing fuel, but biscuit-wise: plain rich tea or digestive for daytime dunking (no timing, pure instinct), and Border biscuits for evenings — too posh to dunk, chocolate gets melty. 💬 Get in touch Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | [email protected] Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 07, 202638min
Number 4: SUMMER SPECIAL — Fern Britton on A Cornish Legacy, Florence & Finding Home
Bestselling author and broadcaster Fern Britton joins Philippa for a very special summer edition of Quick Book Reviews to talk about her wonderful new novel, A Cornish Legacy. Fern shares stories of solo travelling in Florence, cycling adventures across India, Madagascar, Cuba and Egypt, dream holidays to Penang, mosquito nightmares, Cornwall, family history, and the joy of finding a place to truly belong. They also discuss the emotional inspiration behind A Cornish Legacy, the real Cornish house that inspired the story, food in fiction, family secrets, wartime history, reviews, writing challenges, and why Fern thought this might be “the worst book” she’d ever written — before readers fell completely in love with it. A Cornish Legacy is a warm, emotional and uplifting novel set around a beautiful old Cornish house called Wildahoo. After heartbreak and loss, Cordelia unexpectedly inherits the crumbling house and must decide whether to destroy it or rebuild both the property and her own life. Rich with friendship, family, belonging, love and second chances, it’s perfect for readers who adore atmospheric Cornish fiction. (penguin.co.uk) Perfect for fans of Fern Britton, Cornish fiction, women’s fiction, uplifting novels, family stories, summer reading, author interviews, and feel-good books with heart. Books and authors mentioned: A Cornish Legacy by Fern Britton Daughters of Cornwall by Fern Britton Still Life by Sarah Winman Gone with the Wind by Gone with the Wind Dorothy L. Sayers Agatha Christie This episode is full of travel stories, writing wisdom, Cornwall, family memories, laughter, emotion, and excellent advice about protecting your ice cream from seagulls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 31, 202628min
Number 5: 3 Weirdly Perfect Books to Read Now + Gavin Bell on 138 Main Street - Summer Special
Recorded live at Capital Crime Book Festival, Philippa talks to Gavin Bell — also known as Mason Cross, also known as Alex Knight — about his gripping new thriller 138 Main Street. But first, three festive reads for anyone who, like Philippa, enjoys a Christmas book in the height of summer. 3 Christmas Books for Summer The Winter Guest – Sarah Moss Two strangers share Christmas Eve dinner in a remote Irish hotel as a snowstorm gathers outside — and each has a confession to make. Atmospheric and unexpected. A Carol and a Killing – Reverend Richard Coles A festive cathedral choir concert ends in tragedy when a soloist falls — or was he pushed? A cosy, witty Christmas murder mystery. The Case of the Christmas Card – Elly Griffiths Charles Dickens turns up on time-travelling detective Allie Dawson's doorstep just before Christmas, and the two team up to solve two cases at once — all while Dickens tries to find his way home. Gavin Bell on 138 Main Street A killer is targeting victims who all live at the same address — 138 Main Street — but there are 7,664 Main Streets in America. How do you predict where they'll strike next? Gavin and Philippa discuss:Writing under three different names, and the moment he had to invent a Gavin Bell signature on the spot at his book launchHis dream holiday on the Orient Express, with separate compartments for family, friends, and quiet decompression timeReading The Godfather for the first time and why watching the film first makes you appreciate the book moreHis nightmare holiday: Benidorm 1996, hangovers in the heat, and reading the backs of cereal boxes for entertainmentWhere the idea came from — an offhand line in another book, plus a real-life unlocked-doors estate that spooked him into writing itWhy short, sting-in-the-tail chapters are deliberate, and why "I read it in three hours" is the highest compliment a thriller writer can getWhy he keeps his day job, and the colleagues (and CD collection) who keep accidentally ending up as character namesIce cream order: "Marathon Man" Snickers ice cream in a waffle cone — no sauce, no flake, just pure peanut-chocolate perfection. Get in touch Quick Book Reviews Facebook Group | Instagram | Email: [email protected] Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
August 28, 202624min