Lange’s entertaining book makes it clear that, no matter how wild and risky his lifestyle may be, he takes comedy more seriously than anything else." — Publishers Weekly A policeman, as punishment for perceived insubordination to his senior officer, is banished to a remote Greek island and takes up his position as the village constable. It is a small village, near death, and the only crime is a decades-old, unsolved suspicious death. Oh, and a missing cat! This is the fourth novel I have read by Laura Lyndhurst, who is an accomplished writer and gifted storyteller. Much like the previous book, (Fairytales Don't Come True), we have a protagonist who recounts his life as he nears death, to a willing listener, rather like in a confessional. In this case, the protagonist has had a long and colourful existence, reaching pinnacles of success in business, but also extreme lows, including a spell in prison. Being the erstwhile partner of Magdalena, the protagonist in the earlier book, it's interesting to hear his life story and his own version of events while they were together. His 'confessor' is Stephanidou, a young police officer banished to a dead-end posting on this same Greek island, which has a tiny and elderly population. With no current crimes to investigate he is intrigued by the potential of a 'cold case' to solve, which comes to light during the confession, and diverts him from dwelling on his own, somewhat dismal personal and career prospects on the island.

What was very clear is the research of Greek and local cultures she must have undertaken in writing this book, interestingly, even writing a bibliography at the end. This is an amazing story with a clever writing style that drags you in from the beginning and keeps you immersed until the end. It’s very descriptive and the dialogue between the characters keeps you hanging on to every word. Book two in the Criminal Confessions series sees us transferred to a small, poor, Greek island. I said, in my review of book one, Fairytales Don’t Come True, that I came to Lyndhursts’s writing through her poetry, recognised a writing style and started on her novels. This second helping does not disappoint. In late 2021 I undertook editorial training and freelance work as a sub-editor. I terminated that work in late 2022, but have my hands full writing my own books and reviewing those of others.I was born and grew up in North London, England, but was unable to attend university when young due to family financial circumstances. Instead, I worked at various occupations, including dental nurse, laboratory assistant and shop assistant. The bare-bones were still there—the smell and taste of different Greek foods, the topography—the hill and the spectacular view over the sea, the warm summer sun. But the buildings and the people were dilapidated and decrepit. In Kadi, as in all great, literary heroes/anti-heroes, Ms Lyndhurst has created a multi-faceted character. Having read the first in the trilogy, Fairytales Don’t Come True, I already had mixed feelings about the man and his motives. As he recounts his story, it becomes clear that he is capable of cruelty, of a single-minded misogny and yet can show real tenderness. Is the occasional tenderness and his remorse for the past enough to redeem him in the eyes of his God and those of the reader” I think everyone will have a differing opinion of him. At times, he reminded of Mr. Rochester, who I loved to hate as a teenager. I came into Degenerate, Regenerate straight after finishing Fairytales Don't Come True, and found that the second book in this series is as fascinating and impactful as the first. I loved the ties to the first book which are far from obvious but subtlety introduced. Stephanos Stephanidou is bored, depressed and almost contemplating suicide until he meets an old hermit living in the ruins of an old house. The pair strike up a conversation that leads to the hermit telling Stephanos his life story, which becomes the basis of the novel.

So, we jumped onto this one, the second book in the Criminal Conversations trilogy by Laura Lyndhurst, and I wasn't disappointed. Some sequels - or the next book in a series - drops you right at the end of the previous book, and you don't have to do any thinking as you enter into it, and that's no fun at all. While the opening direction of Degenerate Regenerate does indeed captivate, you're also wondering how it ties to Fairytales Don't Come True, and you then arrive at one of those moments where you point your finger at a particular character in the story, and say, "I know who you are!" even before they’re fully introduced. I love investigations; the sorting through clues and evidence, and scratching your head over what might be firm leads and what might be red herrings, and this one has that - it did for me.

So, what does this have to do with the tragic story of Magdalena in Fairytales Don't Come True you might ask. Keep reading, for when the connection becomes clear you will squeal with delight. I did! In this book, the second of the Criminal Conversations trilogy, Laura Lyndhurst transports us to a greek island, an isolated and forgotten place where life drifts on as it has done for centuries. Stephanos Stephanidou, a police officer is posted there, after challenging a superior officer and succumbs to depression, believing his career and hopes of marriage are over. When he meets an ascetic hermit, initially named as Kadi, he slowly begins to believe in a new future as the old man relates a tale of betrayal and lost love. In 2016 we moved to the peace and quiet of rural Lincolnshire, and my sporadic writing activities became more permanent. I self-published Fairytales Don't Come True, my debut novel, in May 2020 and since then have written and published four books of poetry, October Poems, Thanksgiving Poems & Prose Pieces, Poet-Pourri and Social Climbing and Other Poems. I really thought Stephanos was a good character in that his flaws and desperation were clear to see in his move to the island. He needed something that the cold case had to reignite his true self which came to the forefront of this book. The plot is steady and fulfilling, especially the later stages when the titles start to unravel what is truly happening. Policeman Stephanidou went out to a small Greek Island to solve s cold case. A lone man living the lifestyle of a hermit, who's wife had died in mysterious circumstances gave his life story in an attempt to quell the rumours and set the record straight.

In January 2021 I published a sequel to Fairytales entitled Degenerate, Regenerate, and at the end of March 2021 I published a psychological suspense story, You Know What You Did. A third book was published in June 2021, entitled All That We Are Heir To, to make up the 'Criminal Conversation' trilogy with Fairytales and Degenerate, In November 2022 I published another psychological suspense story, What Else Did You Do?, which is a sequel to You Know What You Did. The work didn't stop, as alongside this sequel I was writing a fourth book to follow the 'Criminal Conversation' trilogy. Entitled 'Innocent, Guilty'. It was published in January 2023, and a fifth book, 'The Future of Our House' came out in June 2023. The sixth and final book, 'Uphill, Downhill, Over, Out' has recently been published. There is a beautiful classical vibe to this book. It could be due to the fact that it is set in a sleepy Greek village but I think the classical air comes from the author's writing style. Especially the dialogue but also the theme of the novel.Lyndhurst has a skill of making you feel you are in the scene, a silent observer, sitting in the corner, watching and listening. No long, drawn-out descriptions of place here, instead she allows you, through the actions and thoughts of the characters to feel the place, the dust, the heat, the dilapidation. No monumental explosions or rip-roaring car chases, but another good thinker that saw me abandon my own desk for the duration of the read. When Stephanos Stephanidous reputation as an honest police detective puts him on the wrong side of a superior, he earns a posting on a small Greek island where crime is non-existent. With nothing to do, he starts looking into an old cold case involving the apparent suicide of a young woman and the simultaneous disappearance of a young man. He happens upon Kadi, one of the main characters in the past drama, an old man now with little time to live and a burden to unload. Lieutenant Stephanos Stephanidou has upset a senior officer and because of this he is shipped off to a small town with an ageing population, decaying buildings and zero crime rate. Degenerate, Regenerate is the 2nd book in the Criminal Conversation Trilogy, which is set on a small Greek island.