One of our foremost writers of naval fiction

Shipwreck, survival ... a spirited battle ... a splendid yarn

Hilarious ... quirky and convincing characters

[Moriarty has] an unexpected flair for side-splitting humour and fun

Action-packed ... the characters are likeable and the snappy prose moves events along at a pace

Typically hilarious

Jean Plaidy, by the skilful blending of superb storytelling and meticulous attention to authenticity of detail and depth of charaterization has become one of the country's most widely read novelists

Plaidy brings out the terror that haunted Henry's court, and the perpetual insecurity that made great men run stupendous risks...an absorbing novel

It has already been repeat-snubbed by this year's Man Booker judges. They've made a mistake. A Spot of Bother may be a novel about a humdrum family living in Peterborough, told in the third person this time, in deliberately ordinary language. Yet there is more real linguistic artistry, not to mention human empathy, at work, here than in all those poetic prosemongers, the Ondaatjes and the Banvilles... A Spot of Bother is a novel of minor incidents but it tackles big problems

Like a cross between Margaret Drabble and Francoise Sagan

Joughin has an appealing darkness and urgency, as she potently conveys the pleasures and pains of human interactions

Adeptly written and enjoyable... Ruth's childhood perspectives are extremely well captured

Striking story of Ruth and Gray under the spell of famous poets' lives

Reading Joughin's second novel is like immersing yourself in a cool pool at a hazy summer party ...as addictively abrasive as a shot of cold vodka, this wil leave you both refreshed and gasping for stability

This darkly comic story about unpredictable love is perfect if you're looking for some intelligent chicklit